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Wildfires, smoke pollution, and household purchasing behaviors

Tamara L. Sheldon & Crystal Zhan

Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization2026https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2026.107474article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate households’ behavioral responses to wildfires in California to understand their mitigation and adaptation strategies. We combine daily household-level consumer purchase data from the NielsenIQ Consumer Panel with detailed wildfire incident and smoke exposure data from various sources. Our analysis reveals that wildfires reduce retail trips and overall spending, both in-store and online, likely due to evacuations. However, wildfire-driven smoke increases purchases of essential goods, indicating adaptive behavior. More experienced households tend to respond more cautiously, and we observe heterogeneity in responses based on income, age, and pre-existing health conditions. These findings highlight the complexity and diversity of household adaptations to wildfire-related disruptions. Disclaimers : Researcher(s)’ own analyses calculated (or derived) based in part on data from Nielsen Consumer LLC and marketing databases provided through the NielsenIQ Datasets at the Kilts Center for Marketing Data Center at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The conclusions drawn from the NielsenIQ data are those of the researcher(s) and do not reflect the views of NielsenIQ. NielsenIQ is not responsible for, had no role in, and was not involved in analyzing and preparing the results reported herein.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2026.107474

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@article{tamara2026,
  title        = {{Wildfires, smoke pollution, and household purchasing behaviors}},
  author       = {Tamara L. Sheldon & Crystal Zhan},
  journal      = {Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2026.107474},
}

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Wildfires, smoke pollution, and household purchasing behaviors

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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