The provided pie chart illustrates the data regarding the expenditure of funds on seven different categories by citizens of the United Kingdom over three decades, from 1971 to 2001.
In general, in 1971, the residents of the UK purchased computers less than any other item, yet food was the item that they spent the most on. Now, when it comes to 2001, books have taken on the bottom position, and cars have replaced food as the top spending choice.
In 1971, the predominant expenditure category was food, accounting for 44% of total spending. Notably, computers received only 2%, and books comprised 6% of the budget. Moving forward, in 2001, cars accounted for 43% of total spending and became the predominant expenditure category. Books received a mere 1%, whereas computers made up 12% of the budget.
From 1971 to 2001, books fell by 5%, but computer spending jumped from 2% to 12%, a 10% rise. The furniture needle really did not move, as we can see a slight fall from 9% to 8%. However, restaurant spending doubled over the period. Food sales fell by 30% from 1971 to 2001, whereas car purchases more than doubled, from 22% to 43%. As a final point, petrol slightly fell by 2% during this time period.