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A STUDY OF CIGARETTE SMOKING AMONG TEEN-AGE GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN VOLUME II - DETAILED FINDINGS Conducted for The American Cancer Society r February, 1976 , TA\ht:1.0\'IC'll,SRELLI' ANI) H'1I1T1:, INC.

Describes Respondent My appearance is important to me Most of my friends are part of the "in crowd"' at school People's approval is important to me I have a strong need' to be independent It is important to me to be popular with girls It is very important _ to me to keep up on the latest styles It's more important for me to fit in than to be different from other people Meeting new people and being in new situations makes me more nervous than having things mount up I am shy rather than outgoing and'social I often feel ill at ease in social situations I'd like to be more sophisticated than I am now I have outgrown most people my age I often try to convince my friends to see things my way TABLE VLI-1 - SOCIAL PROFILE By Smokers and Nonsmokers Teen-Age Girls Non- Total Smokers smokers 8 82 72 , 71 73 (a) (a) (a):..:4,',) 63 50 67 50 44 •54 ` 62 62 62 .u~ 55 61 52 - 54 46 56 34 31 36 53 54 53 27 26 27' 42 44 41 32 32 ~ 32 42 32 46 18 23 16 38 24 43 35 32 36 33 27 35 29 31 2 8 ..., # 32 29 34 26 28 26 28 ` 38 24 (a) (a) (a) 25 31 22 17 17 17 (a) Not asked of women. ~ 90 Young, Women Non- Total Smokers smokers8 $ - 8

SECTION VIII SOCIAL VALUES AND THE CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN In the last decade or so, two major currents have had a strong influence on young people in this country--the "new values" and "women's lib." While closely interrelated,._they must be disen- twined to understand their full relationship to the increase in smoking among young teen-agers,and women. The new values movement--spawned by the generation of the sixties, with its strong emphasis on sexual freedom, antiauthoritarianism, belief in mysticism rather than rationalism, and rejection of restraints--appears to be directly related to smoking behavior among young teen-agers and to a lesser degree, young women. ...Teen-age smokers, for example, are rejecting of author- ity and of experts telling them what is good for them. ...Smokers, especially teen-agers, are more likely to re- ject traditional moral restrictions such as those against sexual freedom and use of illegal dru•gs. They are also more apt to reject the intellectual in favor of the emotional, and to emphasize feeling over thinking. The Women's Liberation Movement, which has been sug- gested as a cause for increased smoking among young

w r. . C women, does not appear to be as direct a factor in whether young teen-agers smoke, where they smoke or how much they smoke. The fact is that the majority of this entire gener- ation see eye-to-eye on most issues dealing with women and their changing role in society. They agree that: - Women should receive equal pay for equal work. Women should be as free as men to take the initiative in sex relations. ...Women's relationship to women is just as important as relationships with men. ...That people who say that woman's place is in the home are behind the times. ...That it is not important for the man to be the main pro- vider in the family. Interestingly, both smokers and nonsmokers question~some of the more radical ideas of the feminist movement. ~ - .~ .~h G^ ~ lb 94

...They agree'that it is important for a woman to be femi- nine. ...They believe that taking,care of a home and family can be as fulfilling as a career. ...They question whether a woman has a right to put her own self-fulfillment ahead of obligation to her family. Smoking; and the Changing Role of Women The idea that the increase in smoking among teen-agers and young womenis due, at least in part, to the changing role of women in our society is not directly supported by the findings. With mi- nor exceptions, items concerning women's liberation failed to dis- tinguish between smokers and nonsmokers either among the teen-age girls or the young women. Nonsmokers were just as likely as smokers to feel that: ...Women should receive equal pay for equal work with men; ,..The idea that a woman's place is in the home is behind the times; ...Taking care of a home and children is not as fulfilling as a career; etc.

r Finally, smokers and nonsmokers were equally likely to say that they identified moderately or strongly with the ideas of the Woman's Liberation Movement. The two exceptions to the general agreement between smokers and~ nonsmokers occur among the teen- agers, where nonsmokers are more likely to feel that it is im- portant for a woman to "act feminine" (63% versus 53%) and less likely to feel that women should be as free as men to take the initiative in sex relations (69% versus 80%)1. (Tables VIII-1 and VIII-2) Smoking and Attitudes Toward~ Authority Among the teen-agers, there is a strong distinction between smokers and nonsmokers in terms of their attitudes toward author- ity. The smokers are consistently more rejecting of various authority figures. They are more likely to be annoyed by "experts" who tell them what is good for them~ (53% versus 34%). They are more likely to say that there is already too much regu- lation of peoples' lives (49% to 39%) and less likely to say they would welcome more respect for authority in our society (64% versus 86%'). 03'745260 96 Among the young women, however, there is little difference between smokers and nonsmokers in their attitudes toward authority. While a few more smokers feel that there is too much regulation of peo- ples' lives (41% versus 32%) they are no more annoyed at experts

C C 97 or less likely to welcome more respect for authority than are the nonsmokers. (Table VIII-3) Smoking and New Social Values When asked about their feelings on a number of potential social changes, three major differences appeared between the smokers and the nonsmokers. The first is most characteristic of the teen-age girls and concerns a rejection of traditional moral restrictions-- specifically, the smokers say that they would welcome more accep- tance of sexual freedom (46% versus 33%) and more acceptance of drug usage by the general population (22% versus 6%). While a similar difference holds among,the women it is not as strong-- particularly in the area of drug use. The second difference concerns a rejection of the intellectual in favor of the emotional--an emphasis on feeling over thinking. Again, something the smokers--both teen-age and young women--are more likely to endorse. Finally, among the teen-agers only, the nonsmokers are more likely to express a desire for less emphasis on modern conveniences and more on nature (62% versus 52%) as well as for more emphasis on physical fitness (82% versus 63$) . 03745261 Interestingly enough, the smokers were no more likely than the nonsmokers to endorse a number of values often associated with

98 the "hippie" movement. Such changes as more acceptance of non- conformity, of self-expression and less emphasis on working hard elicited similar reactions from both smokers and'nonsmokers. (Table VIII-4)

99 TABLE VIII-1 FEELINGS ABOUT THE CHANGING ROLE 0£'WOMEN ~ By Smokers an&Nonsmokers .Identify strongly/ modesately with ideas of Women's Liberation Teen-Age Girls Non- Total Smokers smokers Movement . 65 Women should °receive equal pay for equal work 96 Taking care of a home and children is not as fulfilling as a career 41 People who say a woman's place is in the home are behind the times 57 A woman has a right to put her own self- #ulfillment ahead of obligation to her family 40 Women~should be as free as men to take the initiative in sex relations 72 There is almost no job that a ~ woman can't do as well as a man - 53 A woman's relationship to other women~is just as important as her relationship to men 56 65 65 97 95 45 40 61 56 41 39 80 69 56 52 53 58 Young Women Total Non- Smokers smokers 69 70 69' 96 95 96 28 27 28 .r:.~ : 54 55 54 ~ $ ~ 28 30 27 75 77 74 42 45 39 A.= ~ ~.: dOw 68 67 69 ~ ~ N ~ W `_

C C 100 TABLE VIII-2 i SELIEF'IN TRADITIONAL SEX ROLES By Smokers and Nonsmokers It is important for a man to act like a°real" man , . , . It is important for a woman to act feminine It is up to the man to be the main provider in the family There should be a separate set of moral norms for men and another for women Teen-Age Girls Young Women Non- Non- Total Smokers smokers Total Smokers smokers $ $ $ $ $ $ 61 61 60 62 67 59 `, . ' x 60 53 63 65 64 65 ~ 40 44 39 48 44 50 ' .15 15 15 9 11 `_ W G~`~ ~ »'a ~ N .A `_