Average
expenditure per person on selected items, ranked by 1998/99 spending,
1988/89, 1993/94, 1998/99 and 2003/04
While the number of households grew by 9 per
cent between 1998/99 and 2003/04, the number of people grew by only
6.2 per cent.
This measure shows how expenditure per person
changes over time. Like the figures per household it can be used to
show whether people are more inclined to spend money on cultural items
than they were in the past, but it is particularly relevant to spending
which relates more to individuals than to households – cinema
admissions for example. Allowance should be made for inflation when
considering the trend over time (between 1998/99 and 2003/04 the CPI
increased by 18.3 per cent).
While annual expenditure on hire of video tapes
has remained fairly static at around $24 per person over the four surveyed
periods, expenditure on purchase of video cassettes (blank and pre-recorded)
has grown from $7 to $47, probably mainly due to the recent surge in
the popularity of DVDs.
Next update 2010
Annual expenditure ($)
per person
% change
1988/89
1993/94
1998/99
2003/04
1999/99 to 2003/041
Home computer equipment, software and TV games, total2
36
78
101
150
49%
Home coputer equipment (including
pre-packaged software)
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
122
TV games and computer software
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
28
Television (equipment, hire, etc), total3
43
58
68
100
47%
Television (equipment hire etc) excluding
home entertainment systems
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
73
Home entertainment systems
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
27
Video cassette recorders, etc total
36
26
40
63
58%
Video cassette recorders
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
7
Video cameras
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
19
Set-top boxes
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
4
Digital video disc players/laser
disc players and video equipment
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
33
Subscription TV fees4
n.a.
n.a.
14
55
293%
Video cassettes and video discs (blank and pre-recorded),
total
7
14
14
47
236%
Blank video cassettes and video discs
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
4
Pre-recorded video cassettes and
video discs
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
43
Cinema fees and charges
13
24
34
40
18%
CDs, records and tapes, total
12
31
41
34
-17%
Pre-recorded compact discs and record
(audio)
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
33
Audio cassettes and tapes
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
1
Hire of video cassette tapes and TV/computer games
22
28
24
24
0%
Online charges5
n.a.
n.a.
6
19
217%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Household
Expenditure Survey, 1988/89, 1993/94, 1998/99 and 2003/04 (unpublished
data).
Notes:
n.a. data not available
1. Between 1993/94 and 1998/99 the CPI increased by 18 per cent.
2. Due to classification changes the TV games category has been combined
with home computer equipment and software from 1998/99.
3. Includes TV aerials.
4. Included as a separate category for the first time in 1998/99.
5. Included as a separate category for the first time in 1998/99; includes
Internet service provider charges.
