Tobacco Documents Online

0 • • June 29. 1973 T063444 CONFIDENTIAL TO: William Kloepfer, Jr. FROM: Anne Duffin RE: Audience testing of "Smoking & Eealth: The Need to Know" Two test organizations were used: AEF-Basico Market Research Co., whose sample was 406 persons attending regularly scheduled clpb meetings and questioned before , and after the film; and Audience Stu2:ies, =nc., which questioned 750 persons in a th.ater situation, one-ttzird of whom had seea the film. Here, ; n abbreviated version of their summar ies, ie what they found: ARP-Basico The film generated large and statistically significant shifts in attitudes favorable to the Tobacco Industry. Of six statements rated, four showed significant favor- able shifts between viewers and nonviewers: "Cigarette smoking cause lung cancer" (57.1% vs. 74.9Y.) ; •"the Surgeon General could be wrong about the dangers of smoking cigarettes" (40.9% vs. 29.1%); "the tobacco industry is doing an honest *job of presenting both sides of the sACOkiag and hea? th cont: oversy to t::e pub lic" ( 38 . 0: vs. 26 . 6:) ; "reports have overemphasized the dar.gers of smoking cs.car.ettes" (37.9y vs. 27.6%). TIMN 0004654

-2- Tos3 i45 c..ONFIDENTIAL Those people most affected by the film, and causing the above changes, tended to be current s:aokers, younger, better educated, and from higher inezme families. About a third said that they had learned something new from the film. Execution of the film (opening scenes, background mnsic, narrator's voice, color photography) pleased a significant majority of the viewers. The majority (57.1%) felt that the film should be shown to other groups, primarily~because they found it informative and felt that people should be exposed to both sides of the controversy. A t'sird, however, felt that the film should not be shown because it supports smoking and because they did not regard the film as completely truthful. When directly asked, IS.8% of viewers felt the film doliberate2y distorted the true facts about the dangers of smoking, and 47.5% felt some anti-smokixiq facts had been left out. ' Most frequently mentioned facts learned were that there is a relationship between membe_-ship in particular ethnic groups and incidence of cancer and heart diseases (8.4y) and that there is no proven causal relationship between smoking and certain diseases (4.9%). Audience Studies, Inc. The film scored below the averages for all feat-.trettes 7.0 to *30 ms.nutes in length previously tested at ASI. This stezmed more from the presentational format of the film than from its {.nformational content. Viewers 'tended to describe the film as "too long," "repetitious," and "3u1l." 3alf the test audience felt the pace of the feat,xrette "moved too slowly." The film created two major overall impressions among viewers: (1) that it was an "educational" and "infox-ma.- tive" film (33%) t it was a"propaganda" film to pr=otg tze tobacco industry, e.g., to sell c_garettes, justi:y smoking, or to get. cigarette advertising back on tele- vision (32%). , ' TIMN 0004655

0 -3- T0~63-i•:~6 CONFiDENTIAL The film.was successful in influencing viewers on the smoking and health controversy. The exposed/unexposed check list items clearly showed that viewers of the film agreed, to a significantly greater extent than non- viewers, that: The Surgeon General could be wrong about the dangers of smoking, (2.94 vs. 2.48 on a high score of 5); reports have overemphasized the dangers of smoking cigarettes, (2.69.vs. 2.33); the tobacco industry is doing an honest job of presenting both sides of the smoking and health controversy to the public, (2.86 vs. 2.51). Viewers were significantly less prone to feel that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer (3.42 vs. 4.02). Only seven percent of the viewers felt the film was "excellent" and 16% "very good"; slightly more than one third rated the film negatively ("fair" or "poor"), Almost half were reluctant to recommend the presentation to their friends for viewing. These were the main (volunteered) ideas viewers got from the film: Smoking may not be haz-az.sul; may or or may not be , harmful; further research is needed to prove connection between smoking and diseases; smoking may not be the cause o.f lung cancer/ relation between smoking and cancer not known; and smoking may not*cause heart disease/rsey are 'undecided about the connection between smoking and heart disease. Respondents seemed generally tio understand the intent of the film, to demonstrate that there are environmental factors, other t.'jan smoking, related to the health pro- blems covered. TIMN 0004656

. • - ~'UF C0IDENTIAL . -4- TOS3is7 Slightly more than two thirds felt the information pre- sented was "totally" or ":aa3.aly" truthful. Therefore, on the basis of the differences observed in unexposed and exposed test audiences, the film appears to be capable of moderating some of the extreme views respondents may have regarding smoking and health. • • L -- njp : ! TIMN 0004657