Multifaceted Consumer Responses to Sugar Sweetened Beverage Taxation: Motivational and Behavioral Dimensions

Jiejie Jiang, Wuyang Hu, Ping Qing and Jingbin Wang

No 360926, 2025 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2025, Denver, CO from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Abstract: Although sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes have been shown to reduce sugary drink purchases, their effectiveness is influenced by various motivational and behavioral responses from consumers. This paper identifies six potential motivational responses consumers may exhibit in reaction to SSB taxes. Using data from an online survey of 3,203 Chinese consumers, we examine the trade-offs between taxed and non-taxed SSBs during the window period prior to and after a projected implementation of the tax. Our findings provide evidence of diverse motivational and behavioral responses triggered by the SSB tax. Statistical model analysis reveals interactions between consumer demographics and these motivational and behavioral responses. These results can inform the optimization of sugar tax policies and the development of more targeted strategies for tax communication.

Keywords: Health; Economics; and; Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aaea25:360926

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.360926

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