Working Paper: NBER ID: w21311
Authors: Benjamin Hansen; Joseph J. Sabia; Daniel I. Rees
Abstract: Using data from the state and national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys for the period 1991-2005, Carpenter and Cook (2008) found a strong, negative relationship between cigarette taxes and youth smoking. We revisit this relationship using four additional waves of YRBS data (2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013). Our results suggest that youths have become much less responsive to cigarette taxes since 2005. In fact, we find little evidence of a negative relationship between cigarette taxes and youth smoking when we restrict our attention to the period 2007-2013.
Keywords: cigarette taxes; youth smoking; YRBS data
JEL Codes: H71; I18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Prior Anti-smoking Efforts (I19) | Price-sensitive Youth Smoking (J13) |
| Cigarette Taxes (H29) | Youth Smoking Participation (J13) |
| Cigarette Taxes (H29) | Frequent Smoking (I12) |
| Cigarette Taxes (H29) | Youth Smoking Participation (2007-2013) (Y10) |
| Cigarette Taxes (H29) | Frequent Smoking (2007-2013) (I12) |
| State-specific trends (H73) | Cigarette Taxes and Youth Smoking (H27) |