Heckley Gawain, Jarl Johan, Gerdtham Ulf-G
Health Economics and Management, Institute of Economic Research, Lund University, Box 117, 22100, Lund, Sweden.
Health Economics Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Medicon Village, 223 81, Lund, Sweden.
Eur J Health Econ. 2017 May;18(4):495-517. doi: 10.1007/s10198-016-0805-2. Epub 2016 Jun 9.
There is an increasing body of evidence that the intensity in which alcohol is drunk is of greater concern than the frequency or overall quantity consumed. This paper provides an extensive analysis of the demand for alcohol as measured by total quantity, frequency, and intensity. A unique large sample of cross-sectional data from Sweden 2004-2011 allows reduced-form alcohol demand equations to be estimated for beer, wine, and spirits, split by alcohol drinking pattern (average vs. binge drinkers) and gender. Results find a negative beer excise rate effect for participation and frequency, and positive effect for intensity. The effect was stronger for binge drinkers. Generally, the results also show a positive socioeconomic (income and education) gradient in frequency demand and a negative gradient in the intensity demand. Female wine drinkers show a positive socioeconomic gradient in both frequency and intensity. The findings highlight the complexity of this policy space. Tax increases appear to reduce frequency but raise intensity consumed. The more educated and higher earners drink more in total, but less intensely when they do and this is likely to explain in part why poor health is concentrated amongst lower socioeconomic status individuals.
越来越多的证据表明，饮酒的强度比饮酒频率或饮酒总量更值得关注。本文对以总量、频率和强度衡量的酒精需求进行了广泛分析。2004年至2011年瑞典独特的大样本横截面数据，使得能够针对啤酒、葡萄酒和烈酒估计简化形式的酒精需求方程，并按饮酒模式（普通饮酒者与暴饮者）和性别进行划分。结果发现，啤酒消费税税率对饮酒参与度和频率有负面影响，对饮酒强度有正面影响。这种影响在暴饮者中更强。总体而言，结果还显示，在频率需求方面存在正向社会经济（收入和教育）梯度，在强度需求方面存在负向梯度。女性葡萄酒饮用者在频率和强度方面均呈现正向社会经济梯度。研究结果凸显了这一政策领域的复杂性。增税似乎会降低饮酒频率，但会提高饮酒强度。受教育程度越高、收入越高的人饮酒总量越多，但饮酒时的强度越低，这可能部分解释了为什么健康状况不佳集中在社会经济地位较低的人群中。
