Take a city cinema on a Friday evening. Two different things can happen.
Scenario 1: the price changes
The price changes
Only the ticket price changes. Nothing else.
Buyers move along D
They want fewer tickets on the same curve D.
Our example (made-up numbers)
| Ticket price | Tickets wanted per evening |
|---|---|
| €8 | 20 |
| €6 | 40 |
| €4 | 60 |
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Scenario 2: something else changes
A big film comes out
The price stays at €6. Everyone wants to see the new film.
The whole curve shifts
More tickets are wanted at every price: D1 moves right to D2.
Our example (made-up numbers)
| Ticket price | Tickets wanted before | Tickets wanted after (the big film) |
|---|---|---|
| €6 | 40 | 70 |
| €4 | 60 | 90 |
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Remember it as: Own price slides you along; everything else shifts the line.
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Five things other than the price shift the whole demand curve. Here they are for a cinema.
What shifts the demand for cinema tickets
Income rises
Workers get a pay rise, so they can afford more evenings at the cinema.
Tastes and preferences turn against it
The new film gets poor reviews, so fewer people want to see it.
Prices expected to rise
The cinema says prices rise next month, so people go now, before the rise.
Price of a substitute falls
Streaming gets cheaper, so some people watch films at home instead.
Number of consumers rises
A new housing estate opens nearby, so there are more people to buy tickets.
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Normal goods (most goods)
- Income rises: demand rises, D shifts right.
- Income falls: demand falls, D shifts left.
- Restaurant meals, new clothes, cinema tickets.
Inferior goods (cheaper options)
- Income rises: demand falls, D shifts left, as people switch to better goods.
- Income falls: demand rises, D shifts right.
- Supermarket own-brand food, bus travel.
The points to remember
- Each determinant changes how much is wanted at every price.
- Advertising works through tastes: a big campaign shifts demand right.
- Always say which way the curve shifts and why buyers want more or less.
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Quick reminder
- Curves: D1, D2 (to the left) and S
- Marks: P1, P2, Q1 and Q2
- Dots with dashed lines to the axes, an arrow for the shift
- No numbers, no title
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No Higher Level paper has set this micro on its own yet. Standard Level Paper 1 asked it in November 2025, as part (a) for 10 marks; the same question can appear at Higher Level.
Explain two non-price determinants that could decrease the market demand for a good.
Model answer plan
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How the 10 marks are given
| Marks | What your answer needs |
|---|---|
| 9–10 | Both parts fully explained, terms used correctly all the way through, the diagram included and fully explained |
| 7–8 | Both parts explained, terms mostly right, the diagram included and explained |
| 5–6 | Partly explained, some terms, the diagram included |
| 6 at most | Only one of the two parts answered, however good it is |