Alcohol Prices: Would Raising Them Reduce Drinking among High School Students?

Raising alcohol prices. Would drinking by high school students be lower if alcohol prices were higher? Do peers cause cause others to drink more often or heavier?

Study

Researchers asked these questions. They used data from nation-wide federal research.alcohol pricesThe researchers found that peers were significant in the choice to drink. But they had no real impact on the frequency of drinking. That included heavy episodic or so-called binge drinking.

So the price of alcohol had no real impact on the drinking of high school students.

Key Findings

    • Peer drinking has a great effect on the decision of high school students to drink.
    • Alcohol prices do not affect the quantity or frequency of drinking by high school students.

They concluded that “no significant impact on underage drinking will result from low-tax states’ increasing excise taxes on alcohol.” These findings are important for policies to reduce underage drinking.

Resources: Alcohol Prices

Web Pages

Science Papers

Source

Ajilore O., et al. Alcohol consumption by youth. Peers, parents, or prices? Econ Hum Behav23, 76-83.