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The influence of misperceptions about social norms on substance use among school‐aged adolescents
Author(s) -
Amialchuk Aliaksandr,
Ajilore Olugbenga,
Egan Kevin
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.3878
Subject(s) - substance use , psychology , consumption (sociology) , perception , monitoring the future , norm (philosophy) , social psychology , alcohol consumption , social influence , peer influence , demography , developmental psychology , substance abuse , clinical psychology , alcohol , political science , sociology , psychiatry , social science , biochemistry , chemistry , neuroscience , law
Individuals often have biased perceptions about their peers' behavior. We use an economic equilibrium analysis to study the role social norms play in substance use decisions. Using a nationally representative dataset, we estimate the effect of misperception about friends' alcohol, smoking, and marijuana use on consumption of these substances by youths in grades 7–12. Overestimation of friend's substance use significantly increases adolescent's own use approximately 1 year later, and the estimated effect is robust across specifications including individual‐level fixed effects regression. The effect size is bigger for boys than for girls. The estimates for those who initially underestimated the norm suggest the possibility of a rebound/boomerang effect.