Abstract - University of West Georgia（抽象u2014u2014西乔治亚州大学）.pdfVIP

Peer Reviewed Christopher A. Bailey baile1ca@ is an Assistant Professor; Gregory A. Falls falls1ga@ is a Professor; Paul A. Natke natke1pa@ is a Professor; and Philip B. Thompson thomp1pb@ is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant MI 48859. FAX 989-774-2040. Phone 989-774-3870. Abstract We used a stratified random sample to examine the spending patterns of a traditional student population at one large residential university in a small Midwestern town. Juniors and seniors spent more than underclassmen on recreation, food, general merchandise, and miscellaneous items. Male students spent more on recreation (40 percent more) while females outspent males on books and school supplies. Off-campus residents spent about twice as much on recreation, as well as more on food and for general merchandise. Those paying all their college expenses spent more overall and on general merchandise, food, and utilities. Students paying none of their college expenses spent less overall and less on gasoline and total miscellaneous items. Students who worked spent more overall and more in the following areas: general merchandise, food, utilities, and telecommunications. We also examined budget shares. Overall, books and recreation spending tend to be fixed as total spending increases, thereby reducing budget shares for these items. Women devote larger shares of their budget on general merchandise, while men favor recreation. Students who pay none of their college expenses spend relatively more on recreation and books. Working students devote larger shares of their budget on rent and telecommunications. Non-working students spend relatively more on recreation and books. These results should be interpreted with caution since they represent a case study and do not apply to all university settings. Introduction Spending by college students has been identi