An Australian study suggests that the plain packet has a direct impact on the perception of cigarettes by tobacco users.
It makes a lot of skeptics; however, the pack of neutral cigarettes would indeed have an effect on tobacco consumption. The nature of this impact, which is increasingly well documented, is the subject of a study carried out in Australia, the first country to have adopted the standardized package in December 2012.
These works published in the journal Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, focused on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community when asked about their perceptions of tobacco. In Australia, this population is marked by a very high consumption, which exceeds 40%.
Loss of prestige, standardization
“We know that brand image and graphics influence consumers’ perception of risk, the authors say. Color, shapes and symbols on packages fuel beliefs that certain brands are more prestigious. . Using words like ‘light’ or ‘slim’ can give consumers the impression that some tobacco is less harmful than others.
The work therefore aims to assess the change in perceptions induced by the neutral package, through interviews. However, according to their conclusions, this measure would have slowed down by 12% the idea of a tobacco brand “safer”, within the group of participants.
In addition, the researchers found that people under the age of 35 were less likely to view one brand as more prestigious than another (-16.5%). Overall, smokers found the packages less attractive, especially the 18-29 age group. Their similar appearance would have an effect on the perception of the tastes of cigarettes, the presupposed differences of which would tend to fade.
“These results suggest that the neutral package and the prevention messages constitute an effective strategy in reducing smoking in all its forms,” say the authors.
In France, the neutral package, recently adopted in Parliament as part of the health law, will come into force in early 2016. Tobacconists will have to sell standardized packages: same size, same appearance, same warning message for consumers. The shock photos will occupy 65% of the surface of the package – compared to 30% today.
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