Christopher S Carpenter1, Daniel Eisenberg. 1. Department of Economics/Public Policy, The Paul Merage School of Business, 428 SB, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-3125, USA. kittc@uci.edu
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of Sunday alcohol-sales policies on day-specific and overall alcohol consumption. METHOD: Individual-level data on overall and day-specific alcohol consumption from Canada's National Population Health Surveys, 1994-1999, were linked to province-level policy variation in whether a Sunday sales restriction was present. We compared individuals in provinces with sales restrictions with those in provinces without such restrictions, and we estimated models of day-specific and overall alcohol consumption. We used a standard cross-section model as well as a quasi-experimental approach that relied on Ontario's liberalization of Sunday sales in 1997. RESULTS: Sunday sales were associated with a significant increase in drinking on Sundays of 7% to 15%. We found evidence of substitution away from drinking on Saturdays and no evidence for increases in overall drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that repealing Sunday sales prohibitions is unlikely to result in increased overall alcohol consumption, although such liberalization may change the within-week distribution.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of Sunday alcohol-sales policies on day-specific and overall alcohol consumption. METHOD: Individual-level data on overall and day-specific alcohol consumption from Canada's National Population Health Surveys, 1994-1999, were linked to province-level policy variation in whether a Sunday sales restriction was present. We compared individuals in provinces with sales restrictions with those in provinces without such restrictions, and we estimated models of day-specific and overall alcohol consumption. We used a standard cross-section model as well as a quasi-experimental approach that relied on Ontario's liberalization of Sunday sales in 1997. RESULTS: Sunday sales were associated with a significant increase in drinking on Sundays of 7% to 15%. We found evidence of substitution away from drinking on Saturdays and no evidence for increases in overall drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that repealing Sunday sales prohibitions is unlikely to result in increased overall alcohol consumption, although such liberalization may change the within-week distribution.
Authors: Tim Stockwell; Adam Sherk; Thor Norström; Colin Angus; Mats Ramstedt; Sven Andréasson; Tanya Chikritzhs; Johanna Gripenberg; Harold Holder; John Holmes; Pia Mäkelä Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2018-12-22 Impact factor: 3.295