Consumer behavior of rural households: factors and features

The paper focuses on the problem of consumer choice. The goal of this study is a comparative analysis of the rational-economic and sociological aspects of consumer behavior in rural and urban households, as determined by factors such as income, needs, evolving norms, etc. The empirical basis of the study is statistical data from quality-of-life surveys conducted by the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation (Rosstat). The results of the study revealed the multidirectional comparative dynamics of income in urban and rural areas in 20042019, reproducing a lower quality of life in rural areas and determining a slower than in the city substitution of food for services in the structure of rural consumer spending. It is shown that rural households provide a higher level of consumption of a number of expensive food products that they produce on their own (beef, vegetables) than in the city. The availability of non-food items, which has become the norm of modern life (television sets, refrigerators, washing machines), is comparable in urban and rural areas and reaches saturation levels everywhere. Due to the influence of the external environment, the rural population consumption of modern innovative goods and services (smartphones, the Internet) is characterized by an accelerated trend: it is possible to save on less 'obligatory' goods, but not on those that are rapidly entering life and becoming the marker of the 'new norm'. It is concluded that the differences in consumption patterns between urban and rural areas tend to decrease over long periods of time.