Will Low-Income Populations Love Spicy Foods More? Accounting for Tastes

Based on the Theory of Rational Addiction (TORA), this paper identifies the correlation between income and the preference for spicy foods by analysing the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data. The results show that compare with high-income residents of same area, the low-income residents prefer to spicy foods in China. The regression results of IV and Lewbel IV all support it. According to the result, the channel of health behaviours and health awareness are possible causal channels for the negative correlation between income and the preference for spicy foods, rather than health capital stock and food selection.