Binge Drinking in the United States: Do Religion and Region Matter?

Abstract

Binge drinking has been the target of economic studies due to the negative factors associated with such behavior. Although many factors have been considered to influence binge drinking, this paper examines the role of religion and region. While it is generally believed that prohibition encourages more than it deters binge drinking, our results indicate that restrictions such as bans on alcohol purchases result in less binge drinking, and that both culture and region measures should be considered predominant factors.