Vad alla bör ha råd med

en analys av vilken konsumtion som anses vara nödvändig i dagens Sverige

Abstract

What everyone should be able to afford. An analysis of w hat kinds of consumptionare regarded as necessary in contemporary Sweden

Some degree of consensus concerning perceptions of consumption is important to create and refine social policy as well as measures of poverty. Possible reasons for both consensus and certain social cleavages about what is perceived as necessities are discussed. Analysing data from Statistics Sweden’s 1998 Survey of Living Conditions, the following conclusions are drawn. There are 12 items for which there is a fairly high level of consensus. This indicates the possibility of calculating both a generally accepted level for supplementary benefits and an accepted measure of poverty/living standards. However, there are also cleavages. The most interesting, and even surprising, ones show a more restricted view on necessities among groups that are relatively economically advantaged, i.e. well-educated and ‘higher’ social classes. Moreover, there are sex differences and expected political differences - ‘neoliberals’ have a somewhat more restricted view.