Minimum wages and alcohol consumption: Evidence from Canadian longitudinal microdata
利用加拿大1994-2011年纵向数据，研究各省最低工资上调对重度饮酒、狂饮和日均饮酒量的影响，发现总体无证据表明最低工资增加会提高饮酒量，反而对低学历男性有减少作用。
The objective is to estimate the effect of provincial minimum wage increases in Canada on heavy drinking, binge drinking and average daily alcohol consumption. We estimate standard regression models by gender-age group with drinking behaviours as the dependent variables and the minimum wage among the independent variables. We employ the Canadian National Population Health Survey which began in 1994 and ended in 2011, a period comparable to that used by many U.S. studies. The longitudinal feature of the Canadian microdata is an advantage over most U.S. datasets, allowing control for individual fixed effects, including unobserved propensities regarding alcohol. As in U.S. studies, estimation relies on differences in timing and size of minimum wage changes across jurisdictions. We find no consistent evidence that minimum wage increases increase drinking overall. Indeed, for less-educated males ages 26–64, we estimate that a $1 increase (about 15 %) in the real minimum wage would have reduced the prevalence of heavy drinking by 2.2 percentage points and average daily alcohol consumption by 0.15 standard drinks, with wild bootstrap 95 % confidence intervals (-4.3, −0.1) and (-0.28, −0.07) respectively. Our estimates for females are less consistent but some point towards modest increases in drinking. Besides our strongest finding of no evidence that minimum wages increase drinking overall, our findings can also be seen as consistent with earlier research on this same Canadian dataset that found minimum wage increases reduced stress in less-educated male workers. • The effect of minimum wages on drinking is investigated using Canadian panel data. • There is substantial variation in minimum wage changes across Canadian provinces. • No evidence is found that minimum wages increase drinking/problem drinking overall. • There is some evidence of reduced drinking by less educated working age males. • Results are consistent with research that minimum wage increases can reduce stress.