The Effectiveness of Cigarette Warning Labels

Since 1965, tobacco companies have been forced to print warnings on their cigarette labels, to alert consumers to health issues associated with the use of cigarettes. In several countries, these warnings are augmented with graphic imagery that is intended to discourage use of these products. Nevertheless, more than 40 million smokers reside in the United States alone, according to a 2007 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Are cigarette warnings effective, or has their effectiveness diminished since they were originally introduced in 1965?

Use of Pictorial Warnings

• Since 2001, nearly two dozen countries around the world have instituted laws requiring pictorial warnings to be printed on the labels of cigarettes. Among the list of these countries are vast domains such as India, Brazil and Egypt. Many pictorial warnings, such as those printed in Canada, are large enough to fill 50 percent of a cigarette label. These visual warnings are intended to communicate health hazards associated with smoking to a targeted consumer base that may either be illiterate or uneducated regarding the variety of risks posed by smoking. Surveys conducted among Chinese smokers, non-smokers and youth have indicated that pictorial warnings are more effective than text-only warnings in increasing attitudes of avoidance toward smoking (See Reference 1).

Reducing Allure

• Whether as a result of cunning advertising or the mere influence of peer pressure, approximately 90 percent of smokers begin smoking before they reach the age of 13 (See Reference 2). Following the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965, warnings are required to be printed on cigarette labels. Because these warnings are often expressed as loss-framed messages emphasizing negative long-term effects of smoking, teens tend to view these warnings as irrelevant. Evidence suggests that many adolescents overestimate their abilities to combat the long-term effects of smoking, such as risks of cancer, and may believe that they will be able to quit smoking at will.

Addressing Health Concerns

• A timid advertising campaign, introduced in 1965, suggested that smoking "may be" hazardous to one's health. In 1984, four less cautious messages replaced this original warning, each phrased with specificity. While one message asserts that "Smoking Causes Lung Cancer," another states that "Smoking by Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury". Studies have shown that subjects who constitute consumer markets that are directly targeted in tobacco advertising campaigns are often poorly informed regarding risks associated with smoking. Additionally, warning labels on cigarettes are viewed as instructional devices by such subjects, who are often prone to modify their behavior as a result of these warnings.

Affect on Sales

• According to a 1989 study conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, per capita cigarette consumption in the United States has drastically declined since the mid-1960s. In addition to government-mandated warning labels, broadcast advertising bans as well as sharply increased cigarette taxes may have been responsible for reducing smoking consumption by up to 30 percent. During the mid-1990s, even cigarette sales from vending machines became the subject of regulatory measures. Nevertheless, teens continue to be attracted to consume cigarettes due their popularity of use and attractively-designed packaging.

Gaps in Understanding

• Consumers in countries that require extensive or graphic warnings to be printed on cigarette packages tend to be better informed regarding risks associated with smoking than those who live in countries that do not require such warnings (See Reference 3). Studies have demonstrated that people who were not exposed to extensive or graphic warnings exhibit significant gaps in their understanding of smoking risks. They may be unaware of a number of specific health risks, such as impotency, that are associated with smoking. Additionally, they may not be aware of the full scope of such risks.