Numerous studies have estimated elasticities of alcohol demand using different procedures.
Because of widespread differences in demand estimates, however, it is difficult to
synthesise the literature into coherent meaning. This study improves our understanding
of alcohol demand by reporting results from a meta-analysis of 132 studies. Specifically,
regressing estimated price, income and advertising elasticities of alcohol on variables
accounting for study characteristics, we find alcohol elasticities to be particularly sensitive
to demand specification, data issues and various estimation methods. Furthermore,
compared to other alcoholic beverages, beer elasticities tend to be more inelastic
