The table illustrates the proportion of income spent on four common items, namely food, electronic equipment, music, and videos, by adults and children in the UK in 1998, with further breakdowns by gender.
Overall, adults spent the largest share of their income on food, whereas children allocated most of their money to music. Spending patterns also varied noticeably between males and females in both age groups.
In terms of adults, food accounted for the highest proportion of expenditure at 25%. However, there was a clear gender difference, as women spent significantly more on food than men, at 39% compared to 14%. Spending on electronic equipment and music was relatively low among adults, each standing at 5%, while expenditure on videos was minimal at just 1%. Men spent more on electronic equipment than women, at 10% versus only 1%.
By contrast, children devoted the greatest share of their income to music, at 39%. This figure was similar for boys and girls, at 38% and 40% respectively. Children also spent a considerable amount on electronic equipment, particularly boys, whose spending reached 18%, compared to only 5% for girls. Expenditure on videos among children was notably higher than that of adults, at 12% overall.