Social Interactions and Smoking
29 Pages Posted: 21 Feb 2008
There are 2 versions of this paper
Social Interactions and Smoking
Social Interactions and Smoking
Date Written: March 2008
Abstract
Are individuals more likely to smoke when they are surrounded by smokers? In this paper, we examine the evidence for peer effects in smoking. We address the endogeneity of peers by looking at the impact of workplace smoking bans on spousal and peer group smoking. Using these bans as an instrument, we find that individuals whose spouses smoke are 40 percent more likely to smoke themselves. We also find evidence for the existence of a social multiplier in that the impact of smoking bans and individual income becomes stronger at higher levels of aggregation. This social multiplier could explain the large time series drop in smoking among some demographic groups.
Keywords: Welfare, Health Care, Social Policy
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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