IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v8y2011i1p234-252d11053.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Socio-Economic Variation in Price Minimizing Behaviors: Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea S. Licht

    (Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
    Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA)

  • Andrew J. Hyland

    (Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA)

  • Richard J. O’Connor

    (Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA)

  • Frank J. Chaloupka

    (Department of Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA)

  • Ron Borland

    (Vic Health Center for Tobacco Control, The Cancer Council Victoria, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia)

  • Geoffrey T. Fong

    (Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
    Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A3, Canada)

  • Nigar Nargis

    (Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada)

  • K. Michael Cummings

    (Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA)

Abstract

This paper examines how socio-economic status (SES) modifies how smokers adjust to changes in the price of tobacco products through utilization of multiple price minimizing techniques. Data come from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation (ITC) Four Country Survey, nationally representative samples of adult smokers and includes respondents from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Cross-sectional analyses were completed among 8,243 respondents (7,038 current smokers) from the survey wave conducted between October 2006 and February 2007. Analyses examined predictors of purchasing from low/untaxed sources, using discount cigarettes or roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco, purchasing cigarettes in cartons, and engaging in high levels of price and tax avoidance at last purchase. All analyses tested for interactions with SES and were weighted to account for changing and under-represented demographics. Relatively high levels of price and tax avoidance behaviors were present; 8% reported buying from low or untaxed source; 36% used discount or generic brands, 13.5% used RYO tobacco, 29% reported purchasing cartons, and 63% reported using at least one of these high price avoidance behaviors. Respondents categorized as having low SES were approximately 26% less likely to report using low or untaxed sources and 43% less likely to purchase tobacco by the carton. However, respondents with low SES were 85% more likely to report using discount brands/RYO compared to participants with higher SES. Overall, lower SES smokers were 25% more likely to engage in at least one or more tax avoidance behaviors compared to their higher SES counterparts. Price and tax avoidance behaviors are relatively common among smokers of all SES strata, but strategies differed with higher SES groups more likely to report traveling to a low-tax location to avoid paying higher prices, purchase duty free tobacco, and purchase by cartons instead of packs all of which were less commonly reported by low SES smokers. Because of the strategies lower SES respondents are more likely to use, reducing price differentials between discount and premium brands may have a greater impact on them, potentially increasing the likelihood of quitting.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea S. Licht & Andrew J. Hyland & Richard J. O’Connor & Frank J. Chaloupka & Ron Borland & Geoffrey T. Fong & Nigar Nargis & K. Michael Cummings, 2011. "Socio-Economic Variation in Price Minimizing Behaviors: Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:8:y:2011:i:1:p:234-252:d:11053
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/8/1/234/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/8/1/234/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chaloupka, Frank J. & Warner, Kenneth E., 2000. "The economics of smoking," Handbook of Health Economics, in: A. J. Culyer & J. P. Newhouse (ed.), Handbook of Health Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 29, pages 1539-1627, Elsevier.
    2. Jonathan Gruber & Botond Koszegi, 2002. "A Theory of Government Regulation of Addictive Bads: Optimal Tax Levels and Tax Incidence for Cigarette Excise Taxation," NBER Working Papers 8777, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Reiner Hanewinkel & Christian Radden & Tobias Rosenkranz, 2008. "Price increase causes fewer sales of factory‐made cigarettes and higher sales of cheaper loose tobacco in Germany," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(6), pages 683-693, June.
    4. Shelley, D. & Cantrell, M.J. & Moon-Howard, J. & Ramjohn, D.Q. & VanDevanter, N., 2007. "The $5 man: The underground economic response to a large cigarette tax increase in New York City," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 97(8), pages 1483-1488.
    5. Frank J. Chaloupka & Michael Grossman, 1996. "Price, Tobacco Control Policies and Youth Smoking," NBER Working Papers 5740, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Gruber, Jonathan & Sen, Anindya & Stabile, Mark, 2003. "Estimating price elasticities when there is smuggling: the sensitivity of smoking to price in Canada," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(5), pages 821-842, September.
    7. Frieden, T.R. & Mostashari, F. & Kerker, B.D. & Miller, N. & Hajat, A. & Frankel, M., 2005. "Adult tobacco use levels after intensive tobacco control measures: New York City, 2002-2003," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(6), pages 1016-1023.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Roberta Freitas-Lemos & Diana R. Keith & Allison N. Tegge & Jeffrey S. Stein & K. Michael Cummings & Warren K. Bickel, 2021. "Estimating the Impact of Tobacco Parity and Harm Reduction Tax Proposals Using the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Anh Ngo & Geoffrey T. Fong & Lorraine V. Craig & Ce Shang, 2019. "Analysis of Gender Differences in the Impact of Taxation and Taxation Structure on Cigarette Consumption in 17 ITC Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-11, April.
    3. Andrea S. Licht & Andrew J. Hyland & Richard J. O’Connor & Frank J. Chaloupka & Ron Borland & Geoffrey T. Fong & Nigar Nargis & K. Michael Cummings, 2011. "How Do Price Minimizing Behaviors Impact Smoking Cessation? Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-21, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andrea S. Licht & Andrew J. Hyland & Richard J. O’Connor & Frank J. Chaloupka & Ron Borland & Geoffrey T. Fong & Nigar Nargis & K. Michael Cummings, 2011. "How Do Price Minimizing Behaviors Impact Smoking Cessation? Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-21, May.
    2. DeCicca, Philip & Kenkel, Donald & Liu, Feng, 2013. "Excise tax avoidance: The case of state cigarette taxes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1130-1141.
    3. Lesley Chiou & Erich Muehlegger, 2014. "Consumer Response to Cigarette Excise Tax Changes," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 67(3), pages 621-650, September.
    4. Anger, Silke & Kvasnicka, Michael & Siedler, Thomas, 2011. "One Last Puff? Public Smoking Bans and Smoking Behavior," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 30(3), pages 591-601.
    5. Dhaval Dave & Bo Feng & Michael F. Pesko, 2019. "The effects of e‐cigarette minimum legal sale age laws on youth substance use," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(3), pages 419-436, March.
    6. Nikolay Gospodinov & Ian Irvine, 2005. "A ‘long march’ perspective on tobacco use in Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(2), pages 366-393, May.
    7. Pierre Pestieau & Gregory Ponthiere, 2012. "Myopia, regrets, and risky behaviors," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 19(2), pages 288-317, April.
    8. Brett Katzman & Sara Markowitz & Kerry Anne McGeary, 2007. "An empirical investigation of the social market for cigarettes," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(10), pages 1025-1039.
    9. Maria L. Loureiro & Anna Sanz-de-Galdeano & Daniela Vuri, 2010. "Smoking Habits: Like Father, Like Son, Like Mother, Like Daughter?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 72(6), pages 717-743, December.
    10. repec:zbw:rwirep:0064 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Jonathan Gruber & Sendhil Mullainathan, 2006. "Do Cigarette Taxes Make Smokers Happier?," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Yew-Kwang Ng & Lok Sang Ho (ed.), Happiness and Public Policy, chapter 6, pages 109-146, Palgrave Macmillan.
    12. Matthew C. Farrelly & Jeremy W. Bray & Terry Pechacek & Trevor Woollery, 2001. "Response by Adults to Increases in Cigarette Prices by Sociodemographic Characteristics," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 68(1), pages 156-165, July.
    13. Beatty, Timothy K.M. & Larsen, Erling Røed & Sommervoll, Dag Einar, 2009. "Driven to drink: Sin taxes near a border," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 1175-1184, December.
    14. Jonathan Gruber, 2000. "Youth Smoking in the U.S.: Prices and Policies," NBER Working Papers 7506, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Carlo Ciccarelli & Pierpaolo Pierani & Silvia Tiezzi, 2014. "Secular trends in tobacco consumption: the case of Italy, 1871-2010," Department of Economics University of Siena 700, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    16. Dragone, Davide & Raggi, Davide, 2021. "Resolving the milk addiction paradox," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    17. Anindya Sen & Tony Wirjanto, 2010. "Estimating the impacts of cigarette taxes on youth smoking participation, initiation, and persistence: empirical evidence from Canada," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(11), pages 1264-1280, November.
    18. Gruber, Jonathan & Koszegi, Botond, 2004. "Tax incidence when individuals are time-inconsistent: the case of cigarette excise taxes," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(9-10), pages 1959-1987, August.
    19. Silke Anger & Michael Kvasnicka & Thomas Siedler, 2010. "One Last Puff? – Public Smoking Bans and Smoking Behavior," Ruhr Economic Papers 0180, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    20. Yuqing Zheng & Chen Zhen & Daniel Dench & James M. Nonnemaker, 2017. "U.S. Demand for Tobacco Products in a System Framework," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(8), pages 1067-1086, August.
    21. Lovenheim, Michael F., 2008. "How Far to the Border?: The Extent and Impact of Cross-Border Casual Cigarette Smuggling," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 61(1), pages 7-33, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:8:y:2011:i:1:p:234-252:d:11053. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.