Abstract
We use counterfactual analysis techniques to evaluate the impact of a $2 minimum unit price (MUP) on the distribution of Australian (Victorian) household off-trade alcohol purchases. Our estimates suggest that a $2 MUP significantly reduces the purchases of at-risk households by up to 0.92 [90% CI: 1.55, 0.28] standard drinks at the highest quantiles and has substantially less effect on households purchasing at light and moderate levels. A $2 MUP may reduce the proportions of male and female shoppers purchasing at the public health threshold of more than two standard drinks per household member per day by 3.03 [90% CI: 4.83, 1.22] percentage points (relative variation: 17%); and 1.85 [90% CI:2.60, 1.10] percentage points (relative variation:22%), respectively. Implementing an MUP on alcohol thus promises significant positive impacts on public health.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1182-1200 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Health Economics |
Volume | 25 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- minimum unit price
- alcohol
- counterfactual distribution
- decomposition