Cigarette demand: A meta-analysis of elasticities

Listed in:

• Adults' demand for tobacco products
• Impact of tax on tobacco use
• Theoretical frameworks
• Analysis of survey data
• Tax, price and tobacco use: Adults

Abstract

Estimating elasticities of cigarette demand has become commonplace amongst economists and policymakers. Synthesizing the various elasticities into a coherent message is quite challenging, however, as the point estimates are obtained using quite disparate modeling techniques and data. In this study, we perform a meta-analysis to explore factors that influence variations within and across studies. Empirical results suggest that demand specification, data issues, and estimation methodology have varying degrees of influence on reported estimates of price, income, and advertising elasticities.