New Study Shows Tobacco Advertising Impacts Kids More Than Adults

WASHINGTON, April 5 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As kids across Americastand up to Big Tobacco on the fifth annual Kick Butts Day, theCAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS today released a new study showingthat the tobacco industry continues to market in ways that impactkids more than adults despite the industry's promises to change itsways.

The study also shows that three-quarters of America's teenagerssay it is easy for people under 18 to buy cigarettes and othertobacco products, and two-thirds say it is easy for teens to do soover the Internet.

The study was released as tens of thousands of kids ralliedagainst tobacco at more than 1,000 Kick Butts Day events in all 50states. Specific findings include:

-- 73 percent of teens (aged 12-17) reported seeing tobaccoadvertising in the previous two weeks, compared to only 33 percentof adults surveyed. Despite the tobacco industry's claims to haveceased marketing to kids, these numbers are statistically unchangedfrom a survey conducted a year ago.

-- In the wake of the November 1998 state tobacco settlement,which banned tobacco billboard advertising, more teens are reportingseeing tobacco ads in magazines. Sixty-one percent of teens whorecalled tobacco advertising saw it in magazines, compared to 50percent a year ago.

-- The tobacco industry continues to place many of its ads inmagazines that teens are more likely than adults to read -- in somecases, more than three times as likely. For example, 51 percent ofteens polled said they regularly read or look at Sports Illustrated,compared to only 16 percent of adults. For People magazine, 35percent of teens -- but only 20 percent of adults -- said theyregularly read the magazine. Advertising in these magazinescontradicts the publicly stated policies of Philip Morris and Brown& Williamson Tobacco Corp. not to advertise in publications withhigh youth readership.

-- 77 percent of teens say it is easy for people under 18 to buycigarettes and other tobacco products, and 67 percent said it iseasy for teens to do so over the Internet.

The study was released just two weeks after the U.S. SupremeCourt ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesnot have authority to regulate tobacco products under current law.The ruling overturned a 1996 FDA rule that sought to restricttobacco marketing and sales to kids. Among other things, the ruleestablished 18 as the nationwide minimum age for purchasing tobaccoproducts, required retailers to check photo identification for allover-the-counter sales, and severely restricted tobacco companymarketing and advertising practices, including limiting ads inpublications with high youth readership to black and white textonly. Only the minimum age and photo ID requirements were in effectas the tobacco industry fought the FDA rule in court, and even thoseprovisions are now voided.

The survey also comes as states across the country debate howmuch -- if any -- of their tobacco settlement money to spend ontobacco prevention programs.

"Without protection from federal and state governments, thissurvey shows that America's kids are easy prey to Big Tobacco'smarketing and the 'no questions asked' attitude of too manyretailers," said CAMPAIGN President Matthew L. Myers. "Congressneeds to act now to give the FDA the same authority over tobaccothat it has over all other food and drug products, including thepower to protect our kids. And states need to do their part byinvesting tobacco settlement dollars in comprehensive tobaccoprevention programs that we know work.

"On this Kick Butts Day, it is time for our nation's electedleaders to choose: Our kids or Big Tobacco's profits," Myers said.

The study was released at the Kick Butts Day Kick-off inWashington, D.C., a political convention-style rally where kids --including two winners of a national letter-writing contest -- toldthe next President of the United States what they think he should doto protect them from tobacco. More than 20,000 kids across thenation have written letters to the next President, which are beingdelivered to the candidates' party headquarters. U.S. Health andHuman Services Secretary Donna Shalala accepted the study results onbehalf of President Clinton.

"Each day, nearly 3,000 children become regular smokers, andalmost 1,000 of them will die prematurely as a result," saidSecretary Shalala. "For the past five years, the Clintonadministration has been working hard to crack down on tobaccoadvertising aimed at children, and to protect our young people fromthe dangers of tobacco. If we are to protect our children from theharms of tobacco, Congress must now enact the provisions of the FDArule."

Teens and adults were also asked in the survey whether they wouldbe more or less likely to support a presidential candidateassociated with tobacco. Eighty-eight percent of teens and 69percent of adults said they would be more likely to vote for acandidate who did not accept tobacco campaign contributions. Seventy-six percent of teens and 71 percent of adults were more likely tovote for a candidate who supported restricting tobacco advertisingin magazines with high youth readership. Sixty percent of teens and68 percent of adults were more likely to vote for a candidate whosupported regulating tobacco like other consumer products.

The national telephone survey of 520 teens aged 12 to 17 wasconducted through the International Communications Research TeenExcel Study from March 1-5, 2000. The full sample has a margin oferror of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. The nationaltelephone survey of 1,000 adults was conducted through ICR's Excelon the same dates and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1percentage points.

Kick Butts Day makes kids leaders in the fight against tobacco asthey organize events that highlight the dangers of tobacco use andthe tobacco industry's manipulative marketing practices. It issponsored by the CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS, the largest non-governmental initiative ever undertaken to reduce youth tobacco usein the United States.