Factors Affecting Demand
Read this to learn about how factors that affect demand, such as income and change in tastes, are graphed as shifts of the demand curve. Make sure to answer the "Try It" questions.
Other Factors That Shift Demand Curves
Changing Tastes or Preferences
Figure 3. Changing Tastes. This man eats a chicken foot. Changes in society's preferences for chicken have led to changes in demand for certain foods.
From 1980 to 2012, the per-person consumption of chicken by Americans rose from 33 pounds per year to 81 pounds per year, and consumption of beef fell from 77 pounds per year to 57 pounds per year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Changes like these are largely due to shifts in taste, which change the quantity of a good demanded at every price: That is, they shift the demand curve for that good – rightward for chicken and leftward for beef.