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Soda Expenditures

This indicator reports soft drink consumption by census tract by estimating expenditures for carbonated beverages, as a percentage of total food-at-home expenditures. This indicator is relevant because current behaviors are determinants of future health and this indicator may illustrate a cause of significant health issues such as diabetes and obesity. Expenditures data are suppressed for single counties and single-geography custom areas. Rank data are not available custom report areas or multi-county areas.

Source

Source Description

Nielsen is a publicly held information company and a primary supplier of consumer spending data around the world, using both statistical analysis and field sampling techniques to produce accurate and timely information. Published annually, SiteReports provide market analysis to Nielsen customers at multiple geographic levels, spanning a wide range of topics including population demographics, household spending, and market potential. The SiteReports Consumer Buying Power (CBP) database is created using statistical models estimated from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CEX). This survey provides information on the buying habits of American consumers, including expenditures, income, and other characteristics of the consumer unit (families and single consumers). The Consumer Expenditure Survey consists of two surveys: the quarterly Interview survey and the weekly Diary Survey. The surveys target the total non-institutionalized population (urban and rural) of the United States. The data is collected from the independent quarterly interview and weekly diary surveys of approximately 7,500 sample households. Each survey has its own independent sample, and each collects data on household income and socioeconomic characteristics. The current Nielsen Consumer Buying Power data uses a rolling five years of data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, administered from 2005 through 2009. In addition to this data, the Nielsen Consumer Buying Power database also incorporates information from the following sources:

  • Nielsen Demographic Update
  • Nielsen Cartographics
  • U.S. Census Bureau: Census of Retail Trade

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For more information, please visit the Nielsen website.

Methodology

Census tract level average and aggregated total household expenditures and category expenditures were acquired from the 2011 Nielsen Consumer Buying Power (CBP) SiteReports. Tract-level and county-level expenditure estimates are proprietary Nielsen data restricted from public distribution and subject to terms of use agreements. Indicator data tables contain state and national ranks for counties, and percent expenditure estimates based on aggregated tract-level data. The percent expenditure figures calculated for custom geographic areas can be expressed using the following formula:

Percent Expenditures = [Category Expenditures] / [Total Area Expenditures] * 100

To generate acceptable county-level output for indicator report pages, percent expenditures for each food-at-home category were sorted and ranked by county. Each county’s within-state rank and that rank’s percentile are displayed in the indicator data table. This information is not available for custom geographic areas, for states, or for the total United States. County percentiles are calculated using the following formula:

Percentile = [County Within State Rank ] / [Total Number of Counties in State ] * 100

To generate acceptable map output in compliance with the Nielsen terms of use agreement, percent expenditures for each tract were sorted and ranked; quintiles were assigned to each tract based on national rank and symbolized within the map. Additional attributes include each tract’s within-state rank and quintile. Definitions for food-at-home categories used for consumer spending indicators are based on categories in the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX), and are listed below.

  • Soft drinks: Soft drink expenditures included in this category are any non-alcoholic carbonated beverages purchased for consumption at home. Soft drinks purchased at restaurants and other dining establishments are not included.
  • Alcoholic beverages: Alcohol expenditures included in this category are any beer, wine, and liquor purchased for consumption at home. Alcohol purchased at restaurants and bars is not included.
  • Fruit and vegetables: Fruit and vegetables expenditures included in this category are all fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables purchased for consumption at home.
  • Tobacco: Tobacco expenditures included in this category are cigarettes only; cigars and other tobacco products are not included.

Further details about the analysis used by Nielsen group can be found in the Consumer Buying Power Methodology.

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