Shrinking Working-Age Population and Food Demand: Evidence from Rural China

Xinru Han, Ping Xue, Wenbo Zhu, Xiudong Wang () and Guojing Li ()
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Xinru Han: Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Ping Xue: Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Wenbo Zhu: Rural Development Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing 100732, China
Xiudong Wang: Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Guojing Li: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: China is facing a rapidly aging population, and the proportion of the working-age population (WAP) is showing a decreasing trend. In this study, we use a two-stage budgeting quadratic almost-ideal demand system framework to estimate the distribution of food demand elasticity under different proportions of the WAP in rural China. The results show that the income elasticities of rural residents’ demand for fruits and vegetables, animal products, oils and fats, and grains were 0.73, 0.65, 0.55, and 0.48, respectively. Additionally, the income elasticity of rural residents tended to increase as the household proportion of the WAP decreased. These results can provide a deeper understanding of the food consumption patterns of rural residents in China, and could be used in general or partial equilibrium models to forecast food supply and demand.

Keywords: food consumption; working-age population; heterogeneity; rural residents; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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