Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/322283 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IAAEU Discussion Paper Series in Economics No. 02/2025
Publisher: 
University of Trier, Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU), Trier
Abstract: 
This paper examines the long-term impact of West German television exposure on smoking behavior in East Germany, with a focus on gender-specific responses. Using data from 1989 and 2002 and leveraging quasi-random variation in West German TV signal availability across East German regions, we find that TV exposure led to a substantial increase in smoking among women - by 10.7 percentage points in smoking probability and 68% in cigarette consumption - while having no measurable effect on men. This asymmetric effect reflects divergent pre-reunification norms: under socialism, female smoking was heavily stigmatized, and exposure to Western media relaxed these social constraints. The behavioral shift persisted over time, with exposed women reporting worse physical and mental health and higher healthcare utilization in 2002. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest a sizable increase in smoking-related mortality and healthcare costs. Our findings highlight how cultural integration through media can alter health behaviors and generate significant public health externalities in transitional societies.
Subjects: 
Health
Smoking
Cultural Transmission
Television
Social Norms
German Reunification
JEL: 
I12
I18
N34
Z13
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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