SODA WARS: THE EFFECT OF A SODA TAX ELECTION ON UNIVERSITY BEVERAGE SALES

Rebecca LC Taylor, Scott Kaplan, Villas‐Boas, Sofia B and Kevin Jung
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Sofia Villas-Boas

Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series from Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley

Abstract: We examine how soda sales changed due to the campaign attention and election outcome of a local excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Using panel data of beverage sales from university retailers in Berkeley, California, we estimate that soda purchases relative to control beverages significantly dropped immediately after the election, months before the tax was implemented in the city of Berkeley or on campus. Supplemental scanner data from off-campus retailers reveal this result is not unique to the university setting. Our findings suggest soda tax media coverage and election outcomes can have larger effects on purchasing behavior than the tax itself. (JEL D12, H20, C23, I38, Q18).

Keywords: Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax; Berkeley; Election; Difference-In-Differences; Event Study; Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-07-01
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (28)

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Related works:
Journal Article: SODA WARS: THE EFFECT OF A SODA TAX ELECTION ON UNIVERSITY BEVERAGE SALES (2019)
Working Paper: Soda Wars: The Effect of a Soda Tax Election on University Beverage Sales (2019)
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