The Effect of Price on the Behavioural Economic Substitutability of Non‐Alcoholic and Alcoholic Beverages

NA beer may serve as an economic substitute to alcoholic beer, though only when the NA beer is available at a lower price (i.e., $2.50) than NA is typically sold at on-premise alcohol outlets. NA beer sold at prices similar to alcoholic beer is no more effective as a substitute than traditional non-alcoholic beverages, whereas substantively cheaper NA beer functions as a more effective substitute. Results support a concerted public health effort to reduce the relative cost of NA beers to increase their potential to reduce alcohol consumption.