3.1.2.2 Youth Perceptions of Impact and Effectiveness of Ads

At the time of the intermediate site visits, youth participating in focus groups were asked to assess the impact of ONDCP Media Campaign ads, in terms of the influence these ads had on their own thinking and on their intent to act as well as on their view of how effective these ads were in influencing youth. Across all age groups, youth expressed mixed views and qualified their responses, noting that the ads could be useful in certain ways for themselves or for specific groups of people, but not necessarily useful for everyone.

Some youth in all age groups cited positive impacts of the television ads. (Even though they were asked about other media outlets such as radio, print, and the Internet, their responses almost always pertained to what they saw on television.) For some youth, the ads made drugs seem scary, made them think about potential adverse health effects, gave them a mental image about drugs that stayed with them, or showed them how to resist peer pressure. However, there were equal numbers of youth who stated that they did not pay attention to the ads, the ads would not influence them because they had already made up their minds, or peer pressure was more influential than ads at middle or high school age.

Some 4th-6th grade children expressed uneasiness about the ads, believing that they might introduce youth to drugs and encourage them to experiment. Additionally, youth of all ages said they did not believe the ads would influence those who already were users, but they felt the ads might impact children between 8 and 12 years of age or those deciding whether or not to use. Very few of the youth in any age group had discussed the ads with their parents or among themselves, and only youth from a few sites had discussed the ads with their teachers.

While a number of focus group youth did perceive that anti-drug ads could be effective, they also spoke about the competing influences in their environment that encourage drug use. Youth of all ages reported that they receive messages encouraging drug use from four major sources including peers, the media, family, and the neighborhood. Youth in all sites mentioned peers and schoolmates as the most likely source of pro-drug information. Peers promoted the message that although drugs may be dangerous, they are "cool." As they had done at baseline, the youth who participated in focus groups during intermediate visits discussed exposure to pro-drug messages from TV and popular music. They talked about the cleverness of beer commercials and the promotion of major sports events on TV by alcohol and tobacco companies.

Messages encouraging drug use also came from the family and neighborhood. Youth in nine target sites mentioned having personal experience with close family members and adult relatives who use drugs. Participants in one-quarter of the youth focus groups specifically mentioned parents who use drugs, and the same proportion of youth mentioned older siblings and friends who use drugs. Although this pressure was more intense for inner-city youth, it also was prevalent in non-urban communities. Inner-city youth have the additional pressure of strong pro-drug messages from their neighborhood. Inner-city youth reported strong economic and social pressure to sell drugs, even if they do not use.