The bar chart illustrates the proportion of households in a European nation that owned eight different types of consumer goods in 2004 compared to 2008.
Overall, the ownership of all eight items saw an increase over the four-year period. Furthermore, televisions and telephones remained the most commonly owned items in both years, despite significant growth in other categories.
In 2004, televisions were the most prevalent item, found in approximately 96% of homes, followed closely by telephones at around 92%. A middle tier of goods included CD players (roughly 73%), microwaves (around 65%), and clothes dryers (approximately 58%). The least common items were home computers (about 38%), mobile phones (30%), and dishwashers, which were the least widespread at only 23%.
By 2008, ownership levels for all goods had risen. The most dramatic growth was seen in mobile phone possession, which nearly tripled from 30% to 88%. Home computers also saw a substantial rise, more than doubling from approximately 38% to about 75%. While televisions and telephones remained the most common items (at roughly 98% and 91% respectively), their increase was minimal. Conversely, the dishwasher saw the smallest growth, rising only 7 percentage points to 30%, while the CD player, microwave, and clothes dryer all posted moderate increases.