Abstract

There are many factors that can affect how much alcohol a person consumes. This is an important consideration as drinking large quantities of alcohol can be dangerous. A factor that may affect alcohol consumption that is considered in this paper is unemployment. One theoretical rationale behind an increase in consumption during unemployment has to do with the stress of being unemployed. Stress from unemployment may encourage people to consume alcohol as a way to cope with the stress. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) are utilized to understand the effect of unemployment. Individual level data from the United States is looked at for the years 2016 and 2017. To estimate the relationship, linear regression and probit are utilized. It was discovered that being employed increases drinking participation and the number of alcoholic drinks consumed in a month. Additionally, being employed decreases the instances of binge drinking. These results suggest being unemployed can lead to dangerous levels of alcohol consumption that occur during binge drinking.

Advisor

Moledina, Amyaz

Department

Economics

Publication Date

2019

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2019 Isabel Adelson