Urszula Grzega

University of Economics in Katowice

 Poland

ugrzega@ue.katowice.pl

Changes in consumption in Poland in the period of transformation

ABSTRACT. This article presents and assesses transformations in the level and structure of consumption by Poles in the period of economy marketization, the period from 1990 to 2013. To meet the objective set, information originating from secondary sources was used. A research method employed may be referred to as a descriptive analysis involving some elements of a quantitative analysis.

On the basis of analysis of macroeconomic data, it is possible to express an opinion that at the end of the period subject to this research, consumption in Poland—in the value and quantity perspective—reached a higher level than that during the period prior to economic transformations before 1989. Positive changes were also reported in the structure of consumption by Poles. A higher level of satisfied needs is mainly confirmed by a decrease in food indexes, an increase in free choice indexes, positive qualitative and quantitative changes in consumption of food, progress in equipping households with durable goods and as a result of general modernisation of the consumption model.

Received: May, 2015

1st Revision: September, 2015

Accepted: November, 2015

DOI: 10.14254/2071-8330.2015/8-3/12

JEL Classification: E20, O11

Keywords: : consumer expenditure, consumption, Poland, transformation