I hadn’t seen anyone else on the blog link to this CSO publication from last week on cross-border shopping (based on a special module of the QNHS for 2009:Q2) which was brought to my attention yesterday. The results are interesting and the microdata associated with the module could be used for a nice research project.
Based on a quick read, the survey results suggest that the cross-border shopping issue has been substantially over-hyped by the media. A couple of highlights:
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Based on the estimates in the survey, total household expenditure on shopping in Northern Ireland between 2008:Q2 and 2009:Q2 was €435 million. This figure seems low relative to others that have been reported—for example, here.
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Outside of the border region, there are only very modest levels of cross-border shopping with average numbers of shopping trips less than or equal to one per year for all other regions. There is almost no cross-border shopping in the Mid-West, South-West and South-East regions.
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The average amount spent on alcohol per shopping trip was €32.
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Only 9 percent of respondents reported that they had shopped more in the North during the year up to 2009:Q2, while 1 percent reported that they had shopped less.
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Seven percent of respondents reported that they intended to shop regularly in the North in the coming twelve months.