By
ANNA CHALLET, New America Media
SAN
FRANCISCO ― A majority of California voters support taxing sugar-sweetened
beverages if those taxes are used for school nutrition and physical education
programs, according to the results of a new Field Poll. The survey also
revealed that obesity-prevention measures like this have greater support among
ethnic voters.
When
initially asked if they would support taxing sugary drinks, 53 percent of all
voters stated that they would oppose such a tax. But when asked if they would
support a soda tax if the revenues would go to obesity-prevention programs in
schools, a larger majority ― 68 percent ― stated that they would support the
tax.
The
percentage of those in favor of a soda tax is higher among ethnic voters than
among white non-Hispanics: 79 percent of Latino voters would support the tax,
as would 73 percent of Asian Americans, 70 percent of African Americans, and,
at the lower end of the spectrum, 62 percent of white non-Hispanics.
A
majority of Latino voters (54 percent) stated that they would support the tax
even without the condition that the revenues be spent in schools, which was not
true of any other ethnic subgroup.
The
survey, administered by Field Poll on behalf of The California Endowment, was
conducted over landlines and cell phones in October 2012. Approximately 1,200
registered voters were polled in English, Vietnamese Spanish, Cantonese,
Mandarin and Korean.
Awareness of link between sugary
beverages and obesity
In all, 75 percent of California voters believe that drinking soda
can increase a person’s risk for obesity. This number is 85 percent among
Latino voters.
However,
only 42 percent of voters think that energy drinks like Red Bull contribute to
obesity, and just 26 percent think this is true of sports drinks like Gatorade,
despite the high sugar content of these types of beverages.
“Even
though these drinks have quite a bit of sugar, there’s much less voter
awareness of the health hazards that go along with drinking these sports and
energy drinks,” says Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. “The
spokespersons for sports drinks are usually well-known athletes … and the
implication is that this is kind of a healthy beverage.”
“This
is something that needs to be made known … We’re documenting the lack of
awareness and playing it back to the public,” he says.
Conditional support for soda tax
A tax on sugary beverages finds broad support among
California voters, especially ethnic voters, provided that the revenue is used
to improve school programs that prevent obesity.
“Support
for these efforts is even greater in communities that carry the greatest burden
of illness and costs from obesity-related conditions. As a state we need to
support creative approaches to fighting obesity in California,” stated Dr.
Robert Ross, president and CEO of The California Endowment, in a press release
this week.
DiCamillo
echoes this sentiment. “I think there may be a view that obesity poses a
greater threat to ethnic populations and to the extent to which these
populations want to prevent that from spreading … they’re more willing to take
actions against it than white non-Hispanics who may themselves feel less
threatened,” he says. “If you look at the demography of California, ethnic
populations are younger and I’m certain they are more likely to have kids.”
“When
you go to the public to try to raise taxes, if you can demonstrate that money
isn’t just going into the government’s general fund … but it’s being devoted to
a specific purpose that the public supports, I think that’s really the
historical movement,” DiCamillo says. “You’re seeing more and more tax measures
taking on that set of characteristics and it improves their chances for
passage.”
He
cites the example of First 5 California, which was created through a tax on
cigarettes approved by voters in 1998. First 5 provides education, health care
and child-care services to families with young children.
“It
wouldn’t surprise me if there are more kinds of these soda tax measures in
California in the future,” he says.
Other obesity-prevention measures
A large majority of voters are supportive of public policies
that work to prevent obesity within their communities.
Over
70 percent of voters would be supportive of policies and funding that would
attract farmers markets and produce stands to low-income neighborhoods, as well
as funding for community gardens and urban farms.
Additionally,
over 70 percent of voters are in favor of limiting the types of unhealthy foods
and drinks provided to children in child-care centers and preschools, and of
limiting the sale of unhealthy foods and drinks on school grounds and in youth
centers.
New
America Media reporter Malcolm Marshall contributed to this article.
