An analysis of the meat demand of the U.S. Hispanic population

This thesis analyses the consumption behavior of the U.S. Hispanic population for high-valued foods in the meat categories with regard to select socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. The analysis was performed using data from the 2005 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES). The issues with selectivity-bias problems due to households reporting zero consumption for a particular item are overcome using a two-step Heckman procedure. It was found that family size is more important than income in determining the likelihood of purchase and in the decision to increase expenditures on meats. Furthermore, being from different regions of origin affected the probability of purchase, as well as the expenditure decision. Other demographic characteristics were also found to affect the likelihood of purchasing meats and the decision of how much to spend, such as region, marital status, age and gender of the reference person in the household.