title: The Impact of Smoking Bans on Smoking and Consumer Behavior: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Switzerland.
abstract: In this paper, we exploit the progressive implementation of smoking bans in public venues at the state level in Switzerland to evaluate both the direct effects on smoking and the potential unintended consequences of these legislations on consumer behaviors as measured by visiting restaurants/bars and discos ('going out'). Our results indicate that public venue smoking bans in Switzerland reduce smoking rates, but the findings do not emerge until 1 year following the ban. This pattern of results is consistent with delays in ban enforcement on the part of business owners, difficulties in changing addictive behaviors such as smoking, and/or learning on the part of smokers. We find evidence that smoking bans influence going-out behavior and there is substantial heterogeneity across venue and consumer characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, LU, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boes
authors.affiliation: Medicine and Health Leeds, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marti
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Johanna Catherine
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Maclean
mesh_terms: D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012147:Restaurants / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D061845:Smoke-Free Policy / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: consumer behavior; regulation; smoking