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Too Cold for a Jog? Weather, Exercise, and Socioeconomic Status

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  • Eisenberg Daniel

    (University of Michigan)

  • Okeke Edward

    (University of Michigan)

Abstract

This study examines how exercise responds to plausibly exogenous "price shocks," in the form of weather conditions. Most notably, we find that within cold temperature ranges, a decrease in past-month temperature causes a significant decrease in past-month exercise, and this effect is generally larger for lower education and income groups. In large part this differential by socioeconomic group appears to be due to smaller increases in indoor activity during cold weather. These results suggest that interventions and policies aiming to increase exercise participation, particularly among lower socioeconomic populations, could do so in part by increasing the availability and attractiveness of indoor facilities and activities. Furthermore, to the extent that the higher elasticity of behavior for lower socioeconomic groups reflects a more general sensitivity to external factors, these results highlight the promise of interventions that address such factors more broadly.

Suggested Citation

  • Eisenberg Daniel & Okeke Edward, 2009. "Too Cold for a Jog? Weather, Exercise, and Socioeconomic Status," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-32, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:9:y:2009:i:1:n:25
    DOI: 10.2202/1935-1682.2104
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Joshua Graff Zivin & Matthew Neidell, 2014. "Temperature and the Allocation of Time: Implications for Climate Change," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 32(1), pages 1-26.
    3. Cabane Charlotte & Lechner Michael, 2015. "Physical Activity of Adults: A Survey of Correlates, Determinants, and Effects," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 235(4-5), pages 376-402, August.
    4. Humphreys, Brad & Ruseski, Jane & Zhou, Li, 2015. "Physical Activity, Present Bias, and Habit Formation: Theory and Evidence from Longitudinal Data," Working Papers 2015-6, University of Alberta, Department of Economics.
    5. Pawel Strawinski, 2011. "Economic determinants of sport participation in Poland," Rivista di Diritto ed Economia dello Sport, Centro di diritto e business dello Sport, vol. 6(3), pages 55-76, Febbraio.
    6. Jorge González Chapela, 2021. "Job Searching and the Weather: Evidence from Time-Use Data," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 29-55, March.
    7. Harris, Matthew C. & Kessler, Lawrence M., 2019. "Habit formation and activity persistence: Evidence from gym equipment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 688-708.
    8. Brad R. Humphreys & Jane E. Ruseski, 2015. "The Economic Choice of Participation and Time Spent in Physical Activity and Sport in Canada," International Journal of Sport Finance, Fitness Information Technology, vol. 10(2), pages 138-159, May.
    9. Vasilios Kosteas, 2015. "Physical activity and time preference," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 361-386, December.
    10. Young Hoon Lee & Ilhyeok Park, 2010. "Happiness and Physical Activity in Special Populations: Evidence From Korean Survey Data," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 11(2), pages 136-156, April.
    11. Rooth, Dan-Olof, 2011. "Work out or out of work -- The labor market return to physical fitness and leisure sports activities," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 399-409, June.
    12. Susan A. Carlson & Geoffrey P. Whitfield & Ryan T. Davis & Erin L. Peterson & Janet E. Fulton & David Berrigan, 2021. "Associations between Perceptions and Measures of Weather and Walking, United States—2015," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-13, August.
    13. Xiaojia Bao & Qingliang Fan, 2020. "The impact of temperature on gaming productivity: evidence from online games," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 835-867, February.
    14. Michael Lechner, 2011. "Leisure Sports Participation in Switzerland," Chapters, in: Plácido Rodríguez & Stefan Késenne & Brad R. Humphreys (ed.), The Economics of Sport, Health and Happiness, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    15. Humphreys Brad R & Ruseski Jane E, 2011. "An Economic Analysis of Participation and Time Spent in Physical Activity," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 1-38, August.

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