DIVERSIFICATION OF THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF HOUSEHOLDS IN PROVINCES OF POLAND

Abstract

Household disposable income, although it is not the only measure of quality of life and standard of living, is a key factor affecting the level and structure of consumption. Regional differences related to the economic situation of households were evaluated with the use of data describing the level of household disposable income per person, wages and disposable income. Although GDP can be only indirectly identified with the economic potential of households, the study also included disposable income per capita and the GDP achieved by administrative units. Based on descriptive characteristics of variables assumed for the analysis, the method of k-means was applied to group objects (provinces). The aim of the paper is to group the provinces based on the variables assumed for the analysis. The applied method of multidimensional analysis made it possible to group provinces into segments. Each of the segments contains provinces that are most similar to each other in terms of features assumed for the analysis. The presented results permit us to draw the indirect conclusion that in provinces with higher GDP per capita, the population acquires higher income and, consequently, consumption expenditures make up a smaller portion of the obtained income.