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

Changes in Expectations About Future Prices

While it is clear that the price of a good affects the quantity demanded, it is also true that expectations about the future price (or expectations about tastes and preferences, income, and so on) can affect demand. For example, if people hear that a hurricane is coming, they may rush to the store to buy flashlight batteries and bottled water. If people learn that the price of a good like coffee is likely to rise in the future, they may head for the store to stock up on coffee now. These changes in demand are shown as shifts in the curve. Therefore, a shift in demand happens when a change in some economic factor (other than the current price) causes a different quantity to be demanded at every price.