The table illustrates the proportions of income spent by adults and children on food, electronic equipment, music, and videos in the United Kingdom in 2005.
Overall, adults allocated the largest proportion of their income to food, whereas child spent considerably more amount to music and electronic equipment. Among adults, women spent more money on food than men, while men devoted a larger share to electronic equipment. For children, boys spent more on electronic equipment and music, while girls spent slightly more money on music.
Looking first at the adults, food was the major form of expense, accounting for 28% of their income. Women spent more on food than men, at 39% compared with 30%. However, men spent much more on electronic equipment, with 21% of their total income, compared with only 7% for women. Spending on music and videos was relatively low for both groups, at 4% and 2% respectively.
Children showed a different spending pattern. Music was the largest expense, at 41%, followed by electronic equipment at 35%. Girls spent slightly more on music than boys, at 36%, while boys spent considerably more on electronic equipment compared with 11%. Children spent 15% on videos, with boys spending 20% and girls at 16%. Food accounted for the smallest share, at 11%.