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Le mythe du nouveau consommateur

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  • Philippe L'Hardy
  • Alain Trognon

Abstract

[fre] L'année 1973 a indéniablement marqué un bouleversement du paysage économique et social de notre pays. Le consommateur ne pouvait que s'adapter à ce changement. De quelle manière l'a-t-il fait? En ce qui concerne l'automobile, on a assisté à une chute des achats neufs jusqu'au milieu de 1975, suivie d'une remontée sensible. Le profil des dépenses énergétiques des ménages est comparable. On doit cependant interpréter de tels phénomènes plus comme des réactions instantanées que comme une mutation des comportements. Les séries annuelles de la comptabilité nationale, examinées sur les années 1959-1979, le confirment. La hiérarchie des dépenses des ménages par poste avant et après la crise reste à peu près identique. Toutefois, certains biens voient leur rythme de croissance de consommation ralenti, voire stoppé en volume après 1973, soit à cause de la hausse des prix de ces produits, soit en raison de changements d'habitude, soit enfin du fait de la remise en cause de certains besoins superflus. Mais en général, la stabilité des comportements, même dans certains cas derrière une apparence de changement, demeure la règle. [eng] The Myth of a New Consumer - The year 1973 was unquestionably a year of upheaval in the economic and social landscape of France. The consumer was forced to adapt to these changes. How did he go about this? In the automobile sector, there was a sharp decline in the purchase of new cars through the middle of 1975, followed by a significant recovery. The pattern of spending on energy in households was comparable. However, phenomena of this sort are perhaps best considered as momentary reactions, rather than as basic shifts in behavior. The yearly series of the national accounts, examined for the 1959-1979 period, confirm such a view, as the different categories of spending preferences within households before and after the beginning of the crisis are nearly identical. Nevertheless, the growth rate in the volume of consumption of certain goods has slowed down and, in some cases even stopped altogether, since 1973, due either to the Increase in the price of the products in question, to a change in consumer habits, or to a questioning of certain « superfluous » needs. In general, however, a real stability in consumer behavior — even in certain cases which appear to have changed — remains the rule. [spa] El mito del nuevo consumidor - Es indiscutible que el ano 1973 puso de manifiesto ciertos trastornos en el ambiente econémico y social de nuestro país. El consumidor no podía si no adaptarse a dichos cambios. ¿De que manera lo consiguió? Respecto al automóvil, se verificó una merma de las adquisiciones de turismos por estrenar hasta mediados de 1975, fecha a la que siguió una notable reactivación. El perfil de los gastos energéticos de los hogares es comparable. No obstante, es menester interpretar estos fenómenos más bien como reacciones instantáneas que como un cambio de comportamiento. Las series anuales de la contabilidad nacional examinadas con relación a los años 1959-1979 lo atestiguan. La jeraquía de los gastos de los hogares, por renglón, antes y después de la crisis permanece poco más o menos identica. Sin embargo, unos cuantos bienes ven su ritmo de crecimiento afectado por una ralentización, e incluso detenido en volumen despues de 1973, bien sea a raiz del alza de los precios de dichos productos o a causa de cambios intervenidos en las costumbres, o finalmente con motivo de considerarse superfluas algunas necesidades. Mas, por lo general, se va manteniendo la estabilidad de los comportamientos, incluso si, en algunos casos, pueden aparecer cambios.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe L'Hardy & Alain Trognon, 1980. "Le mythe du nouveau consommateur," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 123(1), pages 13-22.
  • Handle: RePEc:prs:ecstat:estat_0336-1454_1980_num_123_1_4364
    DOI: 10.3406/estat.1980.4364
    Note: DOI:10.3406/estat.1980.4364
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    Cited by:

    1. Dominique Darmon & Philippe L'Hardy, 1986. "Consommation : santé et loisirs au premier plan," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 190(1), pages 55-69.

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