Abstract:

The aim of the study is to determine the factors influencing the food expenditures under sub-categories of the refugees residing in the province of Hatay by using the Working-Leser model. For this purpose, survey data collected through face-to-face interviews with 133 households during the period of March-May 2022 is utilized. The study reveals that among the examined households, the share of food and non-alcoholic beverages in total expenses is significantly higher (47.17%) compared to the Turkish average (22.78%). Additionally, the proportion of expenditures allocated to flour and bakery products within the food category (26.51%) is found to exceed the Turkish average (17.8%). Accordingly, the econometric model developed for food sub-indicates that the share of expenditure on flour and bakery products decreases as the total food expenditure increases, the education level of the household head rises and the household size decreases. On the other hand, for fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and similar products, it is found that the share of expenditure increases as the total expenditure rises. The elasticities for these two food sub-categories are calculated as 1.55 and 1.45, respectively, while for all other sub-groups, the elasticities are found to be less than 1.

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