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Evolving Consumption Patterns in the U.S. Alcohol Market: Disaggregated Spatial Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2019

Jarrett Hart  and
Julian M. Alston
Jarrett Hart
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA95616; e-mail: jdhart@ucdavis.edu.
Julian M. Alston
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Robert Mondavi Institute Center for Wine Economics, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA95616; e-mail: jmalston@ucdavis.edu.
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Abstract

Global consumption patterns for alcoholic beverages are evolving, with some convergence in per capita consumption among nations as traditionally beer-drinking nations increase their consumption of wine and, conversely, wine-consuming nations shift towards beer. This article explores regional patterns of alcoholic beverage consumption within the United States. One purpose is to see if similar patterns of spatial convergence in consumption patterns can be observed within countries as have been documented in international comparisons. A more fundamental purpose is to explore the converse question and seek to better understand the persistent differences in alcoholic beverage consumption among groups. These issues are addressed using annual U.S. national and state-level data over four decades and, for the more recent period, supermarket scanner data at finer scales of geopolitical aggregation. Socioeconomic and other demographic variables appear to play significant roles in accounting for the spatial differences in consumption patterns, although the details vary across different models and data sets. The analysis of demand using less-aggregative data for a shorter time period reveals some shortcomings in the corresponding analysis based on state-level data over a longer time period, but with poorly measured prices. These findings might extrapolate to studies making international comparisons using national aggregate data. (JEL Classifications: D12, L66)

Keywords

demand modelsbeer and winesocioeconomic characteristicsspatial patternsUnited States
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Wine Economics , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 5 - 41
Copyright
Copyright © American Association of Wine Economists 2019

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Footnotes

The authors gratefully acknowledge helpful comments and advice from Kym Anderson, Tim Beatty, James Fogarty, Jim Lapsley, an anonymous reviewer, and various participants at workshops and conferences.

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