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Det handlar inte om att ha råd - Höginkomsttagares konsumtionsmönster i en tid av ekonomisk och social osäkerhet

Sjödahl, Evelina LU and Romell, Oscar LU (2025) SEMK65 20251
Department of Service Studies
Abstract
In times of rising inflation, global unrest and shifting societal values, much of the public and
academic focus has been on how economically vulnerable groups adapt their consumption.
However, less attention has been paid to high-income earners who are often assumed to remain
unaffected by economic fluctuations. This thesis investigates how high-income individuals in
Sweden navigate their everyday food consumption in a time marked by economic and social
uncertainty in 2025. Through fifteen semi-structured interviews with individuals over the age of
fifty, the study explores whether and how these individuals reprioritize consumption and what
drives such decisions.
Using the Permanent Income Hypothesis and Engel’s Law as foundational... (More)
In times of rising inflation, global unrest and shifting societal values, much of the public and
academic focus has been on how economically vulnerable groups adapt their consumption.
However, less attention has been paid to high-income earners who are often assumed to remain
unaffected by economic fluctuations. This thesis investigates how high-income individuals in
Sweden navigate their everyday food consumption in a time marked by economic and social
uncertainty in 2025. Through fifteen semi-structured interviews with individuals over the age of
fifty, the study explores whether and how these individuals reprioritize consumption and what
drives such decisions.
Using the Permanent Income Hypothesis and Engel’s Law as foundational economic
frameworks, combined with Bourdieu’s sociological concepts of capital and habitus, the study
offers a multifaceted perspective on consumption. The findings show that while respondents
often maintain stable consumption patterns, they also engage in selective re-evaluation of what is
worth purchasing. These adjustments are not solely economically motivated but are also shaped
by personal values, social norms and changing ideas of what is appropriate in uncertain times.
Consumption becomes a symbolic act as much as a financial one and is deeply linked to identity,
taste and class belonging.
Respondents frequently state that they can afford to continue their usual consumption, yet their
decisions suggest a deeper moral and emotional negotiation around what is justified. The title of
the thesis “It’s not about being able to afford it” captures this paradox. Financial ability is not the
sole factor guiding consumption. Rather, consumption is situated within a broader field of
expectations, responsibilities and self-understanding. This highlights the limitations of traditional
economic models in fully explaining high-income consumption under pressure and underscores
the need for interdisciplinary approaches that account for both structural and symbolic
dimensions of consumer behaviour. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Sjödahl, Evelina LU and Romell, Oscar LU
supervisor
organization
course
SEMK65 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
consumption, permanent income hypothesis, Engel´s law, Bourdieu, capital, habitus, high-income, uncertain times
language
Swedish
id
9212709
date added to LUP
2025-09-19 10:32:33
date last changed
2025-09-19 10:32:33
@misc{9212709,
  abstract     = {{In times of rising inflation, global unrest and shifting societal values, much of the public and
academic focus has been on how economically vulnerable groups adapt their consumption.
However, less attention has been paid to high-income earners who are often assumed to remain
unaffected by economic fluctuations. This thesis investigates how high-income individuals in
Sweden navigate their everyday food consumption in a time marked by economic and social
uncertainty in 2025. Through fifteen semi-structured interviews with individuals over the age of
fifty, the study explores whether and how these individuals reprioritize consumption and what
drives such decisions.
Using the Permanent Income Hypothesis and Engel’s Law as foundational economic
frameworks, combined with Bourdieu’s sociological concepts of capital and habitus, the study
offers a multifaceted perspective on consumption. The findings show that while respondents
often maintain stable consumption patterns, they also engage in selective re-evaluation of what is
worth purchasing. These adjustments are not solely economically motivated but are also shaped
by personal values, social norms and changing ideas of what is appropriate in uncertain times.
Consumption becomes a symbolic act as much as a financial one and is deeply linked to identity,
taste and class belonging.
Respondents frequently state that they can afford to continue their usual consumption, yet their
decisions suggest a deeper moral and emotional negotiation around what is justified. The title of
the thesis “It’s not about being able to afford it” captures this paradox. Financial ability is not the
sole factor guiding consumption. Rather, consumption is situated within a broader field of
expectations, responsibilities and self-understanding. This highlights the limitations of traditional
economic models in fully explaining high-income consumption under pressure and underscores
the need for interdisciplinary approaches that account for both structural and symbolic
dimensions of consumer behaviour.}},
  author       = {{Sjödahl, Evelina and Romell, Oscar}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Det handlar inte om att ha råd - Höginkomsttagares konsumtionsmönster i en tid av ekonomisk och social osäkerhet}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}