V. ANALYSES BY ECONOMIC GROUP

For the purpose of analysis households were divided into two economic groups, those whose chief wage earner had a basic wage rate or salary of more than £5 per week, or whose head had an unearned income of more than £5 a week, and those whose chief wage earner had a wage rate of less than this, or who were dependent on state pensions or other unearned income amounting to less.

Answers to the questions “Did you try to buy?” and “Did you succeed?” were analysed by economic group.

In general, differences between the results for the two groups are small. In the case of household commodities, however, though not in the case of clothing, there is a marked tendency for the percentages trying to buy to be somewhat higher in the lower economic group than in the higher. This might be explained by the fact that those in the lower economic group, having less money to spend, buy cheaper articles of not such quality as those bought by families in the higher group, and thus there is a need for more frequent replacement. Similarly it might be expected that housewives in the lower economic groups would start off with smaller stocks.

Table 21 shows the average percentages of housewives in both groups over all the four weeks’ periods studied, who tried to buy and who bought different household commodities.

In the case of seventeen of the twenty commodities studied, the average percentage trying to buy is higher in the lower economic group than in the higher economic group. Individual differences are not all statistically significant but it is suggestive that the difference should be in the same direction so many times.

The percentage succeeding in buying is not in general higher in the lower economic group. As in many cases the percentage able to buy is small; it is difficult to make comparisons between the two groups from the results shown in Table 21. Where for instance the figure is 1% for both groups it may be that a difference is concealed, since for one group the percentage might be just more than .5% and for the other nearly 1.5%. In Table 22 these results are presented in a different way. The total number recorded as buying in all the inquiries is expressed as a percentage of the total number recorded as trying to buy, in both economic groups.

In fifteen cases out of the twenty the percentage of those trying to buy who succeeded is significantly higher in the higher economic group than in the lower. The difference is particularly marked in the case of bed linen and blankets, items generally requiring a greater outlay of money than the others.

There are no significant differences between the two groups in respect of the proportions buying frying pans, pails, cups, plates and large plates.

In considering these differences between economic groups it should be borne in mind that the two groups for which results are given are broad, If results for the richest section of the higher group were compared with those for the poorest section of the lower group one might expect to find greater differences.

The percentages of households in the two groups who tried to buy and who bought the various items of clothing studied are very close to one onother, the only exceptions being that the proportions trying to buy and buying overalls and children’s shoes and socks are somewhat higher in the lower economics group.

Clothes rationing would result in the demand for clothing as a whole being the same for everyone. The differences pointed our are the same for everyone. The differences pointed out are such as might be expected, members of the lower economic group more frequently having jobs which make overalls necessary, and families in this group more frequently having jobs which make an overall necessary, and families in this group having on the average more children.

The only other commodity for which difference is shown is toothbrushes, the percentages being slightly higher in the higher economic group.

In general analysis by economic groups shows that except where distribution has been equalised by rationing, those with more money have a better chance of getting what they want than those with less, when supply is restricted by shortage.

In Table 21 and 22, and in the diagrams which follow , the percentages of housewives in the two economic groups who tried to buy and who bought various items of hardware, cups, and household linen at different periods are shown.