TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Kühnle, Daniel
        TI  - How Effective Are Pictorial Warnings on Tobacco Products? New Evidence on Smoking Behaviour Using Australian Panel Data
        PY  - 2019/Jun/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 12400
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp12400
        AB  - Studies examining the introduction of pictorial warnings on cigarette packages provide inconclusive evidence due to small samples and methodological issues. We use individual-level panel data from Australia to examine the association between pictorial warnings and smoking behaviour - prevalence, quitting, initiating and relapsing. The pictorial warnings were accompanied by a reference to a smoking cessation helpline and supportive television commercials. Applying an event study framework, we show that the reform reduced smoking rates by around 4% within the first year of the policy. 
The effect decreases with age, is similar for men and women, and is slightly larger for low-educated compared to high-educated individuals. The reform permanently lowered smoking rates primarily due to increased quitting in the year of the reform. Thus, pictorial warnings combined with a reference to a smoking cessation helpline and supportive media campaigns are an important tobacco control measure to reduce the social costs of smoking. 
        KW  - smoking relapse
KW  - smoking initiation
KW  - cessation
KW  - smoking
KW  - pictorial warnings
        ER  -