The Impact of Smoking Bans on Smoking and Consumer Behavior: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Switzerland

Abstract

In this paper, we exploit the progressive implementation of smoking bans in public venues at the state level in Switzerland to evaluate both the direct effects on smoking and the potential unintended consequences of these legislations on consumer behaviors as measured by visiting restaurants/bars and discos ('going out'). Our results indicate that public venue smoking bans in Switzerland reduce smoking rates, but the findings do not emerge until 1 year following the ban. This pattern of results is consistent with delays in ban enforcement on the part of business owners, difficulties in changing addictive behaviors such as smoking, and/or learning on the part of smokers. We find evidence that smoking bans influence going-out behavior and there is substantial heterogeneity across venue and consumer characteristics.

Can a smoking ban save your heart?

“…Conversely, we do not find any reduction in smoking prevalence or intensity. Such evidence is consistent with Boes, Marti, and Maclean (2015) who find that the Swiss smoking bans reduced the smoking rates only in the medium term (after 1 year). All in all, our results point out that the reduction in AMI hospitalizations should be attributable to a reduction in ETS exposure and not to a reduction in smoking consumption.…”

“…It is difficult, ex ante, to predict whether this might upward or downward bias the estimated effect on hospitalizations after the ban. However, Boes et al () show that the smoking ban did not affect much the location where Swiss people used to spend their time. Therefore, we do not think that the exclusion of such information leads to a substantially bias in the estimated impact of the policy.…”

Relation between Smoking Habits and Self-Rated Health of Older Persons in the Philippines: Evidence-Based Tobacco Policy Advocacy

“…Buonanno investigated the influence of the smoking ban on tobacco use reduction in Italy (Buonanno, 2013). Boes reported on the smoking ban's influence in Switzerland (Boes, 2015). Currie evaluated smoking cessation in Ireland (Currie, 2010).…”

The effect of outdoor smoking ban: Evidence from Korea

“…Switzerland's natural experiment-progressive implementation of smoking bans in public venues at a state level-was found to reduce the prevalence of smoking by 1% a year after the implementation (Boes, Marti, & Maclean, 2015). Switzerland's natural experiment-progressive implementation of smoking bans in public venues at a state level-was found to reduce the prevalence of smoking by 1% a year after the implementation (Boes, Marti, & Maclean, 2015).…”

“…Studies of the impact of smoking bans, however, have provided inconclusive evidence of their effects on smoking rates. Switzerland's natural experiment-progressive implementation of smoking bans in public venues at a state level-was found to reduce the prevalence of smoking by 1% a year after the implementation (Boes, Marti, & Maclean, 2015). Anger, Kvasnicka, and Siedler (2011) reported that, after the implementation of state-level public smoking ban in bars, restaurants, and dance clubs in Germany, the prevalence of smoking among people who often go out to such places fell significantly.…”