A Qualitative Analysis of Australian Perspectives Regarding the Cost of Groceries Using the Online Social Media Platform, Reddit

Australia’s current food system does not equitably or sustainably feed all Australians. Coupled with the rising costs of essential goods, it raises concerns around the cost of living and food security. This study aimed to investigate Reddit user perspectives on the current cost of food and groceries in Australian subreddits. Posts related to the costs of groceries within Australian subreddits were collected using Reddit’s Application Programming Interface (API) and Python Reddit API Wrapper python package (version 7.7.1). Posts (n = 1727) were screened, and the included posts (n = 583) underwent thematic analysis. Australian Reddit users reported concerns over the increasing prices of groceries and identified supermarket pricing tactics including price gouging, shrinkflation, and misleading price displays. Reddit also served as an important platform providing support and a method to disseminate budgeting strategies to help others to overcome rising costs of living. The findings highlighted the challenges faced by Australians in managing food and grocery expenses and the strategies they employ to cope with rising costs, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to improve food affordability and accessibility.