Document Type

Article

Comments

Subsequently published in Economic Inquiry, Vol. 42, No. 3, July 2004, 455-468. To obtain a copy of this paper, please contact the author or Economic Inquiry.

Abstract

Voters' preferences for smoking restrictions in restaurants, bars, malls, indoor sporting events, and hospitals are consistent with state-level restrictions on smoking in each of these public areas. This analysis is based on constructed measures of political pressure that take into account both individual preferences and voting behavior. Although smokers are less likely to vote than nonsmokers, their lower voting rate does not substantially influence the probability that a state has a restriction. Other factors, such as tobacco's role in the state economy and state income, are rarely influential.

Date of Authorship for this Version

November 2003