Tobacco Documents Online

101 TABLE!VIII-3 I would welcome more respect for authority There is too much regulation of people's lives I am annoyed by sorcalLed "experts" who try to tell me what is good for me ATTITUDES TOWARD AUTHORITY By Smokers and Nonsmokers s Teen-Age Girls Youna Women Tota Non- 1 Smokers smokers Total Non- Smokers smokers $ $ $ $ $ $ - 80 64 86 80~ 79 81 42 49: 39 36 41 32 39 53' 34' 36 38 35 V G-=

Would Welcome the Follpwing Social Changes More emphasils on self- expression More emphasis on ' physical fitness Less emphasis on . modern conveniences andimore oz nature More emphasis on feeling over thinking More acceptance of nonconformity Less emphasis on competitiveness Less emphasils on working hard More acceptance of sexual freedom Less emphasis on having,children More acceptance of drug usage 102' TABLE VI~II-4 ACCEPTANCE'OF NEW VALUES By Smokers and Nonsmokers Teen-Age Girls oung,Women i v} ~y Non- Total Smokers smokers Totali Non- + Smokers smokers p 8 8 8 $ 8 8 ~ 80, 81 79 80, 82 78 77 63 82 77 75 -7& 59 52 62 57 57 58 .; 53' 59 50 51 59 47 49 52 48 53 56 52 Y 42 48 39 50 56 46 - 38' 35 39 42 44, 40 37 46 33 34 40 30 26 34 23 34 37 32 ; 11 K 22 6 5 9 3 L? =MR +Lb ~ ~

.y f 113 Finally in this section, data on family relationships again re- ~ ! inforce the picture of the smoker as one who is at odds with the authority figures about her--in this case her parents. Here it can be pointed out to teens that in smoking they are behaving exactly like most of their parents. Nervousness and Tension Although the majority of women smokers name tension! and nervous- ness reduction as a prime benefit of smoking, neither teen-age nor young women smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to de- scribe themselves as "nervous" people or as "worriers." Half of the women (47%) and 2 out of 5 of the teen-agers (39%)--smokers and nonsmokers alike--say that they are nervous. One out of two (55%) of all teens and 2 out of 3(64$) of the women see them- selves as worriers. Among the girls, however, the smokers are more likely to be rest- less and "unable to sit still." This is a trait of two-thirds (64$) of the smokers and less than half (44%) of the nonsmokers. While the women smokers are no more likely to describe themselves as "restless" than the nonsmokers, they are somewhat more likely to say that they are under a "lot of pressure" at the moment (34% versus 24%).

114 Nervous Habits Asking girls and young,women what they do when they are nervous or upset reconfirms the smoker's reliance on cigarettes as a tool for dealing with~pressure. Nearly 3 out of 4 teen-age (71%) and women (78%)~ smokers said they were most likely to smoke a ciga- rette. Other differences between smokers and nonsmokers were slight. Among the teen-agers, the smokers were more likely to say that they also "get angry and yell at people" (39% versus 26%) while the nonsmokers are more likely to take the opposite tack and lay down, read a book or watch television (20% to 37%'). Among the women, it is the nonsmokers who are slightly more likely to yell (39% to 30%). More importantly, the nonsmokers are also more likely than the smokers to say that they get some- thing to eat or munch on when they get upset (36% to 51%). (Table X-2) Willpower and Self-Control A feeling of control over one's life and actions is important to a majority of teen-agers and young women. It is, however, slightly less important to the teen-age smoker thanithe nonsmoker (62% versus 74%). Among the women, however, it is equally impor- tant to smokers and nonsmokers alike (75% and 77% respectively). Likewise, less than a third of the teen-age girls (31%) or the young women (30%) feel they have little willpower or self- discipline. Among the teen-age girls this is equally true

115 both~smokers~(32$) and nonsmokers (31%). While women smokers are a little more likely to say they don't have much willpower, the number is still only 1 out of 3(34$). The one quality which must be overcome in 4 out of 10 teen-ag,e and women smokers is that of procrastination. Forty-five per cent of the teen-age smokers and 42 per cent of the womensmokers feel they are always putting things pff. (Table X-3 ) Luck and Risk Taking The idea that the smoker feels that she is "iucky" and can "beat the odds" of smoking-related disease does not seem to be borne out by the findings. Teen-age smokers are no more likely than nonsmokers to describe themselves as "lucky" (52% and 53%) nor do smokers say they feel they can "beat the odds" (18% smokers and 11% nonsmokers). Among the women, nonsmokers actually are more likely to describe themselves as "lucky" (68% versus 57%) and, while there is a difference between smokers and nonsmokers, the smokers are still not very likely to feel they can beat the odds (17% versus 7$) . 03745269 Indeed, for the teen-agers in particular, the dangers of smoking may kie part of its attraction. Twice as many smokers as non- smokers say that they occasionally like to do something dangerous just for the thrill of it (39% versus 20%). (Table X-4)

124 TABLE X-7 FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS By Smokers and Nonsmokers Teen-Age Girls Young Women~ Non- Non- Total Smokers smokers Total Smokers smokers Describes Respondent $ $ $ $ $ $ My me a parents trusted and let me make lot of my own decisions I come from a very 64 56 67 61 56 64 close-knit family At I want to do h my life is 56 43 61 59 55 62 different from what my parents want me to do 32 45 26 45 54 38 4

I SECTION XI DELINQUENCY, DRINKING AND DRUG USE While teen-age smoking, today, is very open and overt, it is still strongly associated with the kind of rebelliousness which was apparent back in the woodshed days. If anything, the identi- fication of smoking with a total rebellious syndrome is perhaps even more manifest today. Find the teen-age girl who smokes--and she is also far more likely than her nonsmoking peer to be drinking, using,marijuana, or to have engaged in some form of delinquent behavior such as shop- lifting. ...81$ of the teen-age smokers drink alcohol compared to 42% of the nonsmokers. ...64$ of the smokers have tried marijuana compared to 14% of the nonsmokers. ...32$ of the smokers have drunk to get drunk compared to 4% of the nonsmokers. .,.52$ have shoplifted compared to 26% of the nonsmokers.

of the nonsmokers who say that they have ever even tried widespread use of marijuana by the smokers indicates a readiness on their part to violate adult sanctions and to at least experi- ment with possibly dangerous behaviors. (Table XI-1) Smoking and Delinquent Activities Thrill seeking and a rebelliousness against adult standards is also reflected in the substantially higher self-reports of shop- lifting by teen-age smokers. More than half (52%) of the smokers report that they have shoplifted at least once compared to only one-fourth (26$)~ of the nonsmokers. While the overall rates are substantially less, the same pattern also holds for other forms of delinquent behavior. (Table XI-4) 4