Spotreb

Spotreb is a term used in consumer studies and economics to denote a measure of consumption behavior. Broadly, it refers to the level and pattern of goods and services consumed over a period and can function as a variable in models or as a dataset label. The term derives from the Czech and Slovak word for consumption, spotřeba/spotreba.

In practice, spotreb is used to analyze how spending responds to income, prices, and policy changes. It appears in macroeconomic models of consumption, micro demand analysis, and energy economics when household energy use is treated as a spotreb variable.

Data sources include household expenditure surveys, national accounts, and energy meters. Common measures are per-capita spotreb, total spotreb consumption, and spotreb intensity (consumption per income unit).

Modeling approaches use spotreb functions linking consumption to disposable income, interest rates, expectations, and wealth. Adjustments account for seasonality and measurement error.

Critics note heterogeneity among households and cross-country comparability due to definitional differences and data quality.

Spotreb is primarily a descriptive label used to support analyses of demand, welfare, and resource use. Related concepts include the consumption function, marginal propensity to consume, and energy consumption metrics.