CONSUMER PREFERENCES IN PURCHASE OF MEAT 9 
replies of the colored housewives was similar to that of the American 
white group, 83.5 per cent stating that they believed just enough 
meat was consumed. In the foreign groups, 95.4 per cent of the Fin- 
nish housewives, 94 per cent of the French, 90.4 per cent of the 
German, 87.5 per cent of the Italian, 94 per cent of the Russian, and 
89.2 per cent of the Scandinavian housewives said that they believed 
just enough meat was consumed. 
Of those replying that too much meat was consumed in their house- 
holds, and assigning reasons for their replies with the exception of 
one group, 80-91 per cent of the total number gave reasons indicating 
that they believed that the quantities consumed were too large to be 
healthful. The exception noted was the Scandinavian group, in 
which 67 per cent of the total replies indicated that too much meat 
was consumed to be healthful. 
The number of those replying that they believed that too little 
meat was consumed in their households was small and the number 
of those assigning reasons for this answer was still smaller. But, 
there seemed to be evident a tendency for the proportion of those 
replying "not enough" to decrease as the income or standard of 
living of the group became better. The few replies in which reasons 
were stated were indicative of the opinion that the cost of meat was 
beyond the means of the family. These reasons were given primarily 
by housewives of the poor classes of the American white and colored 
groups, and by those of the Italian group. 
Question 4- — (a) How many men eat meat? How many do not? 
(6) How many women eat meat? How many do not? 
(c) How many children 15 to 19 eat meat? How many do not? 
(d) How many children 10 to 14 eat meat? How many do not? 
(e) How many children 5 to 9 eat meat? How many do not? 
(/) How many children under 5 eat meat? How many do not? 
(g) How many servants eat meat? How many do not? 
(Table 4). 
The replies to the seven parts of the question relative to persons 
not eating meat are presented in Table 4. This table was based on 
the meat-eating habits of 16,347 persons, of whom 10,575 were of 
the American white group, 1,620 of the colored group, 3,278 of the 
foreign group, and 874 servants. The total number of persons was 
smaller than that in Table 1, where a total of 20,744 was indicated. 
The smaller figures thus shown in Table 4 were due to two principal 
factors: (1) Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were not included in these 
figures, since the questionnaire used in these two cities did not provide 
for the securing of this information, and (2) in some few instances it 
was not possible to secure a satisfactory answer to this question from 
the housewives. But, the extent of the group of individuals on which 
this table was based was for the most part sufficiently comprehensive 
to be of significance. 
The number of people actually eating meat has not been indicated 
in the table, but the relative number eating meat may be readily 
inferred from the percentage figures indicative of those not eating 
meat. 
In the American white group, the number of persons not eating 
meat averaged 5.5 per cent of the total. In the various classes of 
this group the percentages indicating the numbers not eating meat 
decreased as the standard of living increased. For the poor class 
15287°— 26 2 
