TY  - JOUR
AU  - Chaloupka,Frank J.
AU  - Wechsler,Henry
TI  - The Impact of Price, Availability, and Alcohol Control Policies on      Binge Drinking in College
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 5319
PY  - 1995
Y2  - October 1995
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w5319
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w5319.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Frank J. Chaloupka, IV
University of Illinois at Chicago
Department of Economics (m/c 144)
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
601 S. Morgan Street, Room 713
Chicago, IL  60607-7121
Tel: 312/413-2287
Fax: 312/996-3344;630/801-8870
E-Mail: fjc@uic.edu

Henry Wechsler
677 Huntington Ave Boston, MA 02115
E-Mail: hwechsle@hsph.harvard.edu
AB  - The effects of beer prices, alcohol availability, and policies related to driving under the influence of alcohol on drinking and binge drinking among youths and young adults are estimated using data from a nationally representative survey of students in U.S. colleges and universities.  Drinking participation, participation in binge drinking and level of drinking equations are estimated using appropriate econometric methods.  The estimates indicate that the drinking practices of college students are sensitive to the price of beer, with an average estimated price elasticity of drinking participation of -0.066 and an average estimated price elasticity of binge drinking of -0.145.  However, when dividing the sample by gender, one finds that the effects of prices on drinking are limited to young women.  In addition, a significant negative relationship is found for the strength of policies related to drinking and driving among youths and young adults and drinking by college students. However, the results indicate that many elements of campus life, (including participation in a fraternity or sorority, living on campus, and the ready availability of alcoholic beverages) are among the most important determinants of drinking and binge drinking among college students.
ER  -