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National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
Phase 1 (Report No. 1)
From the Director
This document, Testing the Anti-Drug Message in 12 American Cities: National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign Phase I, presents findings regarding the effectiveness of the pilot phase of this historic drug prevention initiative. The ongoing evaluation of the ONDCP Media Campaign will allow us to track and measure the success of this effort in achieving its goals. The goal of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is to educate and enable America's youth to reject illicit drugs. This goal includes preventing drug use and encouraging occasional users to discontinue use.
The objectives of ONDCP's Campaign are aggressive. While research indicates that it will be 2 to 3 years before changes in attitudes and behavior will be achieved, this report documents initial changes in parents' and youth's awareness of anti-drug messages. Findings resulting from qualitative data, collected through site visits at 12 target and 12 comparison sites at baseline and about 12 weeks after the Campaign was introduced, include the following:
- 12 weeks into the Campaign, youth in target sites had 3 times greater awareness of anti-drug ads than did comparison site youth.
- Parents in the target sites reported that the anti-drug ads provided valuable information about the drug problem, including how to obtain more information and the importance of educating their children about the dangers of drugs.
- Most parents in the target sites reported that the anti-drug ads had stimulated discussion between them and their children about drugs.
- During the Campaign, 3.7 times more of the target audiences in the target sites were exposed to anti-drug ads than in the pre-Campaign period; this demonstrates that the use of paid advertising and the pro bono match requirement has increased the frequency of youth's and parents' exposure to anti-drug ads.
- Youth recommended that future anti-drug ads be as realistic and graphic as possible in showing the effects of drugs.
- The same youth who thought some of the anti-drug ads were dumb or stupid seemed to have watched the ads most intently and had the strongest reaction to them.
- 12 weeks into the Campaign, the number of anti-drug ads appearing in the target sites increased an average of 123 percent; cities with the highest increase in anti-drug ads included Washington, DC (279 percent increase), Houston (246 percent increase), and San Diego (224 percent increase).
- Media informants, such as station directors, interviewed about 12weeks after the Campaign had been introduced, reported that the Media Campaign had not affected their broadcasting of other PSAs.
The qualitative data show that parents are eager to learn more about how to educate their children about the dangers of drug use and that youth in the target sites have seen and heard the Campaign ads. The findings in this report --
while preliminary --
indicate that Phase I of the Campaign has been successful in increasing youth and parent awareness of the anti-drug message. By using the full power of mass media to change youth and parent attitudes, we can reduce youth drug use. However, to truly change behavior, the Campaign's anti-drug messages must be reinforced by parents, schools, community leaders, the entertainment industry, and other influences on youth attitudes.
ONDCP remains committed to evaluating and refining the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to sustain long-term anti-drug attitudes and to ensure that drug use among young people is reduced.
Barry R. McCaffrey
Director
Office of National Drug Control Policy