Willingness to pay to reduce alcohol-related harm in Australian rural communities

A common metric is needed to compare the benefits of interventions to reduce alcohol misuse. Monetary value is one such metric that can be elicited using willingness to pay (WTP). This paper explores household WTP for reductions in alcohol-related harm in 20 rural Australian communities. Data were obtained from both postal and face-to-face questionnaires. The results indicate that those with friends or family drinking too much are willing to pay more to reduce alcohol-caused harm, but there was no evidence to suggest those causing and experiencing the most alcohol-caused harm (drinking at high frequency and intensity) had a higher WTP. These findings can be compared with the cost of implementing interventions to determine whether they are likely to be welfare enhancing.