Working Paper: NBER ID: w12124
Authors: David M. Cutler; Edward L. Glaeser
Abstract: While Americans are less healthy than Europeans along some dimensions (like obesity), Americans are significantly less likely to smoke than their European counterparts. This difference emerged in the 1970s and it is biggest among the most educated. The puzzle becomes larger once we account for cigarette prices and anti-smoking regulations, which are both higher in Europe. There is a nonmonotonic relationship between smoking and income; among richer countries and people, higher incomes are associated with less smoking. This can account for about one-fifth of the U.S./Europe difference. Almost one-half of the smoking difference appears to be the result of differences in beliefs about the health effects of smoking; Europeans are generally less likely to think that cigarette smoking is harmful.
Keywords: Smoking; Public Health; Cigarette Prices; Beliefs about Smoking
JEL Codes: I1; J1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| beliefs about smoking's health effects (I12) | smoking rates (I12) |
| cigarette prices (P22) | smoking rates (I12) |
| income levels (J31) | smoking rates (I12) |
| cognitive dissonance (D80) | beliefs about smoking's health risks (I12) |
| smoking rates (I12) | beliefs about smoking's health risks (I12) |