Changes in cigarette price and consumption by men in Britain, 1946-71: a preliminary analysis.

The campaign to curb cigarette smoking in Britain is gaining momentum. So far the main emphasis has been on alerting the public to the health hazards. There has also been pressure for restrictions on smoking in public places and for greater control over tobacco sales promotion. Despite the fact that the expense of smoking is a major disincentive, especially for the teenager (McKennell and Thomas, 1967), the possibility of changing smoking behaviour by price manipulation has received relatively little attention. Since 1946, in addition to seven manufacturers' price increases, there have been nine increases in tobacco duty, some of them large. No systematic analysis has yet been published of the effect of these price changes on smoking behaviour and tobacco consumption. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of the effect of price on cigarette consumption.