Examining the Reasons for Adult Consumers’ Alcohol Consumption in Türkiye: A Necessary Condition Analysis of Selected Official Data

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to empirically examine whether the variables of foreign exchange (USD) rate, Consumer Price Index (CPI), unemployment, pleasure inducing substances, and happiness can be defined as necessary conditions for consumers' alcohol consumption behavior, with a focus on gender. Design/methodology/approach - The population of the study consists of adult Turkish consumers. The data were taken from the annual reports of the Turkish Statistical Institute and the Ministry of Health. Five years of data were obtained from these reports. Necessary Condition Analysis was applied for the analyses. RStudio and the “Necessary Condition Analysis R Package Version 3.3.3.3” were used to implement the analyses. Findings – Tobacco use was identified as a necessary condition for alcohol consumption for both genders, while CPI was identified as a necessary condition for alcohol consumption only for women. Other variables cannot be classified as necessary conditions based on the data in this study. Discussion – Although all variables of this study are associated with alcohol consumption in the literature, only the consumer price index and tobacco use were found to be valid necessary conditions for alcohol consumption. De-marketing activities should be conducted as creating these conditions may have a positive effect on reducing alcohol consumption.