Trends in consumption among the rural population.

摘要

Prior to recent reforms, rural workers in Russia spent 45% of their incomes on food and their urban counterparts 43%. By 1996 the respective figures were at least 46 and 51%, or 59 and 52% if home food production is taken into account. Rural people's consumption of all foodstuffs, except for potatoes and vegetables, had declined significantly, but less so than that by urban dwellers. The quality of nutritional intake had also declined less. However, rural people's advantage was at the cost of highphysical labour inputs on family smallholdings and low mobility of income from produce sales. Larger families have been particularly badly affected. General nutritional and physical standards among children and young people are declining, with 48% of present 16 year-olds not expected to survive to retirement age. Consumption of non-food goods and services is markedly different in countryside and town. Rural people are generally less able to afford and less well supplied with consumer durables. Priorityspending is on fuels and private transport. Much household and other equipment owned by rural families was acquired pre-reform and is ageing; its replacement is increasingly unaffordable.