Habit and Heterogeneity in the Youthful Demand for Alcohol / Michael J. Moore, Philip J. Cook.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Moore, Michael J.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Cook, Philip J.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w5152.

NBER working paper series no. w5152

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 1995.

Summary:

Observed patterns of youthful drinking indicate substantial persistence. This paper analyzes how much of that persistence reflects the actual development of a habit, and how much is due to unobserved aspects of the individual and the environment. The role of restrictions on alcohol availability, both in the current period and in adolescence, is also explored. We find that much of the observed persistence represents habit formation, and not unobserved characteristics. Consequently, restrictions on availability, particularly at an early age, alter subsequent patterns of alcohol consumption and abuse.

Notes:

Print version record

June 1995.