Evaluation of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign: Campaign Exposure and Baseline Measurement of Correlates of Illicit Drug Use From November 1999 Through May 2000

• NCJ Number: 187816
• Author(s): Robert Hornick; David Maklan; Diane Cadell; David Judkins; Sarah Sayeed; Paul Zador; Brian Southwell; Jane Appleyard; Michael Hennessy; Carol Morin; Diane Steele
• Editor(s): Joan Murphy
• Date Published: November 2000
• Length: 194 pages
• Contract Number(s): N01DA-8-5063
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Corporate Author: Westat; University of Pennsylvania
• Sale Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This is the first semiannual report on the evaluation of Phase III of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, which involves purchasing advertising space on television, radio, newspaper, magazines, billboards, transit ads, bus shelters, movie theaters, video rentals, Internet sites, Channel One broadcasts in schools, and other venues as appropriate.

Abstract

This report presents results from an in-home survey of 3,312 youth from 9- to 18-year-old and 2,293 of their parents undertaken between November 1999 and May 2000. These respondents represent the approximately 40 million youth and 43 million of their parents who are the target audience for the Media Campaign. Response rates of 64 percent for youth and 61 percent for parents were obtained. Findings involve early estimates of exposure to the Media Campaign. Also, the survey identified anti-drug beliefs and drug-use behaviors that will be watched over time both for movement and for their association with exposure to the Media Campaign. This sets the stage for the evaluation. This report contains no findings about the effectiveness of the campaign. Such findings after only 9 months of operation of Phase III would be premature. Most parents and youth had seen at least some of the ads, with one estimate suggesting both audiences are exposed to two or three ads per week across all media. Most youth expressed negative attitudes and negative beliefs about the consequences of marijuana use, both with regard to trial use and more strongly about regular use. Older youth tended to have less consistently negative attitudes. Youth tended to mistrust the "gateway" theory that marijuana use will lead to the use of harder drugs. Parent reported that they talk about drug use with their children and monitor their children, although they are not firmly convinced that monitoring protects against drug use. Parents reported more frequent conversations and monitoring behavior than did their children. New estimates of youth use of marijuana and inhalants are presented. 20 figures, 57 tables, 19 references, and appended methodological details