An Economic Evaluation of Consumer Characteristics Affecting Sweet Potato Consumption1

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Abstract
The purpose of this report was to relate several economic and social characteristics of sweet potato consumers to level of fresh sweet potato consumption. National cross-sectional data were used to identify consumption patterns using the least squares regression procedure. Relationships were estimated for white and non-white households. The relationships for white households indicated that price of sweet potatoes, family income, number of meals eaten-at-home, family size, and expenditures for white potatoes were important determinants of weekly sweet potato consumption. Regional, urbanization, and seasonal differences were also apparent for white households. Education, age, and employment status were not critical in determining consumption patterns. The relationship for the non-white households was similar structurally to the white household relationship but the sample size was not sufficiently large to yield statistically significant coefficients for some of the variables found important in the white household. Nevertheless, price, age and number of households did exhibit statistically significant coefficient. Seasonal and urbanization differences were noted. Sweet potato merchants should find the relationships useful in market segmentation. Sales efforts should take into account at least regional, seasonal, and urbanization differences.

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