Differential effects of negative publicity on beef consumption according to household characteristics in South Korea

Hyungho Youn, Byung In Lim and Hyun Jin ()

Health Policy, 2012, vol. 106, issue 2, 138-148

Abstract: This paper examines how South Korean households responded to an unprecedented boycott campaign against US beef from spring to summer of 2008, and investigates differential responses in relation to households’ characteristics. It was found that beef consumption reduced by 4.8% immediately after the so-called candle-light demonstration. Instead, pork and chicken consumption increased by 17.2% and 16.6%, respectively. This confirms a substitution effect due to the negative publicity concerning US beef. It was also found that the negative publicity effect was transitory and the reactions of consumers were not uniform; they differed depending on their socio-economic characteristics. The econometric model revealed that younger, less-educated, and/or lower-income households were more susceptible to the negative publicity, and reduced their beef consumption more than other households.

Keywords: Mad-cow disease; Korean household expenditure; Beef consumption; Seemingly unrelated regression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D10 I18 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:106:y:2012:i:2:p:138-148

DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2012.03.005

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