TY  - JOUR
AU  - Chavis,Larry
AU  - Leslie,Phillip
TI  - Consumer Boycotts: The Impact of the Iraq War on French Wine Sales in the U.S.
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 11981
PY  - 2006
Y2  - January 2006
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11981
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11981.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Larry Chavis
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
E-Mail: larry_chavis@unc.edu

Phillip Leslie
Anderson School of Management
UCLA
Box 951481
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Tel: 650-387-5498
E-Mail: pleslie@anderson.ucla.edu
AB  - The French Opposition to the war in Iraq in early 2003, prompted calls for a boycott of French wine in the US.  We measure the magnitude of consumers%u2019 participation in the boycott, and look at basic evidence of who participates.  Conservative estimates indicate that the boycott resulted in 26% lower weekly sales at its peak, and 13% lower sales over the six month period that we estimate the boycott lasted for.  These findings suggest that business should be concerned that their actions may provoke a boycott which hurts their profits.  We also find that neither political preferences or media attention are important determinants of boycott participation.
ER  -