Determining the effective factors on the food expenses of urban households in Iran: using quantile regression - comparing the years 2016 and 2021

There are Limited domestic studies have analyzed household income and expenditure survey (HIES) data and determined the factors affecting household food expenditure. So, the analysis of the changes that have occurred in the consumption behavior of households is highly necessary, due to the many shocks, including the economic sanctions since 2018 and the outbreak of Corona in 2020, brought to Iran's economy. The current study has addressed this important issue. In this research, quantile regression was performed concerning 9 quantiles from 0.1 to 0.9 for 2-year 2016 as a relatively stable year and 2021 as a year after the occurrence of shocks on the summery of urban HIES data.Based on the obtained results, among the 16-variable considered in 2016, the gender, education level, and marital status of the head of the household and per capita subsidy received by the household members and in 2021, literacy status, education level, and marital status of the head of the household in None of the quantiles had a significant impact on household food expenditure. Therefore the household's head's gender and the per capita subsidy received by the household members, which were not considered in 2016, became significant in 2021. The noteworthy point is the growth in the per capita income coefficient in 2021 compared to 2016, which indicates the increase in the sensitivity of food expenses to income and the reduction of household food expenses sticking to their previous values, which can demonstrate the decline of the household's economic potential during this 5-year.