The role of consumer age and financial profit in vendor compliance for underage alcohol sales

Age limit restriction for risky products is widely implemented as an instrument to improve public health. To study reasons for vendor (non-)compliance this 2 (underage vs. adult consumer) × 2 (low vs. high profit) field experimental research was conducted. Trained mystery shoppers conducted 218 alcohol purchase attempts. ID checks and compliance were significantly higher when financial profit was low (74% ID checks; 67% compliance) compared with the high-profit conditions (26%; 18%). There were no significant differences between the adult and underage consumer conditions. The motivation to comply appears to be the crucial factor, and enforcement needs to be intensified.