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Missed Opportunities: The Need to Promote Public Knowledge and Awareness of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes

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  • Emily A. Altman

    (School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

  • Kristine A. Madsen

    (School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

  • Laura A. Schmidt

    (Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA)

Abstract

Despite a growing body of evidence showing that sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes nudge consumers away from SSBs, we lack an understanding of people’s awareness and perceptions of SSB taxes and whether tax awareness and perceptions differ based on sociodemographic characteristics. We used serial cross-sectional study intercept surveys ( n = 2715) in demographically diverse neighborhoods of Berkeley and Oakland in 2015 and 2017, and San Francisco and Richmond in 2017. In the year following successful SSB tax ballot measures, 45% of respondents correctly recalled that an SSB tax had passed in their city. In untaxed cities, 14% of respondents incorrectly thought that a tax had passed. Perceived benefits of SSB taxes to the community and to children’s health were moderate and, like correct recall of an SSB tax, were higher among respondents with higher education levels. Awareness of SSB taxes was low overall, and perceptions about taxes’ benefits varied by educational attainment, reflecting a missed opportunity to educate citizens about how SSB taxes work and their importance. Public health efforts should invest in campaigns that explain the benefits of SSB taxes and provide information about how tax revenues will be invested, both before and after a tax proposal has passed.

Suggested Citation

  • Emily A. Altman & Kristine A. Madsen & Laura A. Schmidt, 2021. "Missed Opportunities: The Need to Promote Public Knowledge and Awareness of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-9, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:9:p:4607-:d:544019
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hunt Allcott & Benjamin B Lockwood & Dmitry Taubinsky, 2019. "Regressive Sin Taxes, with an Application to the Optimal Soda Tax," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(3), pages 1557-1626.
    2. Yichen Zhong & Amy H. Auchincloss & Brian K. Lee & Ryan M. McKenna & Brent A. Langellier, 2020. "Sugar-Sweetened and Diet Beverage Consumption in Philadelphia One Year after the Beverage Tax," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-12, February.
    3. Rebecca L. C. Taylor & Scott Kaplan & Sofia B. Villas‐Boas & Kevin Jung, 2019. "Soda Wars: The Effect Of A Soda Tax Election On University Beverage Sales," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 57(3), pages 1480-1496, July.
    4. Jou, J. & Niederdeppe, J. & Barry, C.L. & Gollust, S.E., 2014. "Strategic messaging to promote taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages: Lessons from recent political campaigns," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(5), pages 847-853.
    5. Hunt Allcott & Benjamin B. Lockwood & Dmitry Taubinsky, 2019. "Should We Tax Sugar-Sweetened Beverages? An Overview of Theory and Evidence," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 33(3), pages 202-227, Summer.
    6. Falbe, J. & Rojas, N. & Grummon, A.H. & Madsen, K.A., 2015. "Higher retail prices of sugar-sweetened beverages 3 months after implementation of an excise tax in Berkeley, California," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(11), pages 2194-2201.
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    1. Agnieszka Piekara & Małgorzata Krzywonos, 2021. "Assessment of the Frequency of Sweetened Beverages Consumption among Adults in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-13, June.

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