title: Is response to price equal for those with higher alcohol consumption?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if taxation policies that increase the price of alcohol differentially reduce alcohol consumption for heavy drinkers in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A two-part demand model for alcohol consumption is used to determine the price elasticity of alcohol. Quantile regression is used to determine the price elasticity estimates for various levels of consumption.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study uses Australian data collected by the National Drug Strategy Household Survey for the years 2001, 2004 and 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measures of individual annual alcohol consumption were derived from three waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey; alcohol prices were taken from market research reports.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the overall population of drinkers, a 1% increase in the price of alcohol was associated with a 0.96% (95% CI -0.35%, -1.57%) reduction in alcohol consumption. For those in the highest 10% of drinkers by average amount consumed, a 1% increase in the price of alcohol was associated with a 1.26% (95% CI 0.82%, 1.70%) reduction in consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within Australia, policies that increase the price of alcohol are about equally effective in relative terms for reducing alcohol consumption both for the general population and among those who drink heavily.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Applied Health Economics, Griffith University, Logan Campus L03 2.15, Meadowbrook, QLD, 4131, Australia. j.byrnes@griffith.edu.au.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Byrnes
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shakeshaft
authors.affiliation: School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petrie
authors.affiliation: Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, 2305, Australia.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Doran
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000191:economics*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000191:economics*; D001315:Australia; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017059:Models, Econometric; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013660:Taxes / Q000191:economics*
keywords: Alcohol; Policy; Price; Tax