Smoking, income and subjective well-being: evidence from smoking bans

Abel Brodeur

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of local smoking bans on different outcomes using county and time variation over the last 20 years in the US. First, I find no evidence that local smoking bans in bars, restaurants and workplaces decrease the prevalence of smoking. The estimates are very small and not statistically significant. Well-being is also affected by these policies: public smoking bans make smokers who do not quit more satisfied with their life. I verify the robustness of this result throughout, and validate my findings with two distinct data sources. I discuss and test the mechanisms behind this seemingly paradoxical relationship. The evidence suggests that smokers adapt to bans since the impact on satisfaction is negative just before the implementation and positive afterward. Last, I found evidence that smokers do not favor the implementation of smoking bans. Yet, once they are exposed to a public smoking ban, they are less opposed to those policies. Together the evidence suggests that current smokers are time-inconsistent and benefit from smoking policies.

JEL-codes: D62 H51 I18 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 50 pages
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Downloads: (external link)
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/51536/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Smoking, Income and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Smoking Bans (2013)
Working Paper: Smoking, Income and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Smoking Bans (2013)
Working Paper: Smoking, Income and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Smoking Bans (2012)
Working Paper: Smoking, Income and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Smoking Bans (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:51536

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