Large price rises can lead to what has been termed a ‘heat or eat’ trade-off, where some low-income individuals must choose between energy use and putting food on the table. Low-income individuals are particularly at risk. There are effects on physical health from either restricted energy use or restricted food intake (in terms of quantity or nutritional value) and there may also be effects on mental health due to stress associated with being unable to pay bills or buy food. Considering escalating energy and food prices, this study investigates the energy or food trade-off among low-income people in Australia. While there is some literature on the heat or eat trade-off, our contribution lies in our use of detailed longitudinal population-representative data and multivariable analysis with a focus on low-income individuals who are most vulnerable. Among all low-income households, a 1% increase in the relative price of electricity increases energy expenditure by 0.44% and reduces food expenditure by 0.09% and these effects are statistically significant. For those in poverty, we find a 1% increase in the relative price of electricity increases energy expenditure by 0.37% but has no significant effect on food expenditure. This is consistent with individuals in poverty having economised as far as possible and being unable to reduce expenditure any further. For those near poverty the increase in price reduces food expenditure by 0.20% although there is no significant effect on energy expenditure, indicating individuals are economising on energy use to offset the price increase. For the remaining low-income individuals, the price increase results in a trade-off in which energy is prioritised over food. Reduced food expenditure, however, does not seem to translate into going without meals.

价格大幅上涨可能导致所谓的“取暖或食用”权衡取舍，一些低收入者必须在使用能源和提供食物之间做出选择。低收入人群尤其面临风险。限制能源使用或限制食物摄入（在数量或营养价值方面）会对身体健康产生影响，并且由于与无法支付账单或购买食物相关的压力，也可能对心理健康产生影响。考虑到不断上涨的能源和食品价格，本研究调查了澳大利亚低收入人群的能源或食品权衡。虽然有一些关于热量或饮食权衡的文献，但我们的贡献在于我们使用了详细的纵向人口代表性数据和多变量分析，重点关注最脆弱的低收入人群。在所有低收入家庭中，相对电价每上涨1%，能源支出增加0.44%，食品支出减少0.09%，这些影响在统计上显着。对于贫困人口，我们发现相对电价每上涨 1%，能源支出就会增加 0.37%，但对食品支出没有显着影响。这与贫困个体已经尽可能地节约并且无法进一步减少支出是一致的。对于那些接近贫困的人来说，价格上涨使食品支出减少了 0.20%，尽管对能源支出没有显着影响，这表明个人正在节约能源使用以抵消价格上涨。对于其余的低收入人群，价格上涨导致能源优先于食品的权衡。然而，食物支出的减少似乎并不意味着不吃饭。