MEDIA INFLUENCE

ON SMOKING
 OBJECTIVE
To study media
influence on male
smokers of the age
group 18-26
 NEED TO STUDY
• One in every five between the age group of 18-26
are smokers

• Nearly 80,000 - 1,00,000 people take up smoking

everyday

• About a quarter of the people between the age

group of 18-26 will die due to smoking

• Advertisements of cigarettes has increased the

consumption of cigarettes considerably
 OUR SURVEY
For this survey, we randomly selected 42 people who
smoke from different parts of Mumbai
We focused on smokers from the age group of 18-26

All the 42 smokers we had chosen were men. Most of

them were students who were pursuing different courses
while the others had just started their careers

Research Methodology: The Questionnaire Method

RESULT of the
QUESTIONNAIRE
 1. At what age did you start smoking ?

48% of the smokers started smoking from the age group

of 16-18

This is the age where students start going to college and gain
a new level of independence. Youngsters in college often
bunk lectures to watch movies with friends
 2. Why did you start smoking ?

Peer pressure – 43% and Other reasons(Fun) – 48% are

two major factors which leads to smoking
 
Media is not aggressive enough about the anti – smoking
drive
 3. What is your favorite movie genre?

Action movies – 40%

Others (Thriller/Sci-fi/Realistic) – 34% 

Media has played a strong role in shaping the minds of

the youth
4. On what occasions do you usually smoke ?

Most of them said that they were regular smokers and

that there is no specific occasion for them to smoke

Some said that they smoked only at parties or with friends

 5. Did you ever try and quit smoking ?

Yes – 57% No – 43%

The media should educate

the youth that permanent
happiness is better than
instant gratification
 6. Did the ban on smoking stop you
to smoke in public areas?

Yes – 22% No – 78%

This makes us clearly

understand that today's youth
does not follow rules. Most of
the young population don’t
listen to their own parents.
So listening to an outer body
is totally out of the equation
 7. Does media create enough awareness
about the harmful effects of smoking ?

Yes – 48% No – 52%

This goes to show that most

of the media's efforts have
failed
 8. Do you blame the media for making
smoking a trend nowadays?

Yes – 36% No – 64%

The smokers may not be

consciously getting
influenced but can get
influenced subconsciously
 9. Do you remember any PSA’s
about anti – smoking ?

Yes – 50% No – 50%

This shows that nearly half of

the smoking population is not
aware of any anti – smoking
campaign. Even the ones
who did remember could
name hardly one or two
 CONCLUSION
Media is playing a neutral role in regards to influencing the
smokers

It is not responsible for the high percentage of youth

smokers but it has also not done enough for the anti –
smoking cause

The Silent Killers – Cigarettes have been neglected

It’s time media takes responsibility for the cause of anti –

smoking