The effects of smoking bans on self-assessed health: evidence from Germany

Abstract

We examine the effects of smoking bans on self-assessed health in Germany taking into account heterogeneities by smoking status, gender and age. We exploit regional variation in the dates of enactment and dates of enforcement across German federal states. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, our difference-in-differences estimates show that non-smokers' health improves, whereas smokers report no or even adverse health effects in response to bans. We find statistically significant health improvements especially for non-smokers living in households with at least one smoker. Non smokers' health improvements materialise largely with the enactment of smoking bans.