What young Australians think about a tax on sugar‐sweetened beverages

Abstract

Objective: To determine support for a tax on sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) among young Australian adults and the potential impact on SSB consumption if a tax is introduced. Methods: Cross‐sectional convenience survey of Australians aged 18–30 years sampled in the City of Greater Geelong, Australia, in November–December 2017. Results: A total of 1,793 responses were recorded. Overall, 48% supported a tax on SSBs, which increased to 74% and 72% if tax revenue was allocated to subsidising fruit and vegetables or funding community exercise facilities, respectively. If a tax of $0.40/100g of sugar were introduced, 53% of participants would reduce their SSB consumption and most of this group (63%) reported that they would consume more water instead. Participants who consumed SSBs more frequently were less likely to support a tax or reduce their consumption. Gender, obesity and SES were not associated with support for a tax. Conclusions: Most young adults supported the idea of a tax on SSBs if tax revenue would be used to support healthy eating or physical activity. If a tax was introduced, most indicated that they would reduce their SSB consumption and substitute water for SSBs. Implications for public health: Policymakers can expect support from young people should an SSB tax be introduced in Australia.

Public Support for the Imposition of a Tax on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and the Determinants of Such Support in Spain

“…Furthermore, in the UK the measure is targeted at drink manufacturers and the tax revenues will be devoted to health promotion activities, aspects that are linked to a higher level of support. 24,29,30,32,33 Our data support this thesis because, when participants were consulted about other types of price measures, such as tax relief and subsidies on healthy foods, before being asked about the tax, support rose to 70%, equalling that of the UK. This leap was particularly marked among people professing ideological alignment with the political centre and right, and among teenagers and young adults (ages 18-29 years), as was the case in Australia.…”

“…The proposed tax received majority support (66.9% of the sample), and higher than that observed in countries such as France (57.7%), 29 the USA (40%), 26 Germany 25 and Australia (48%). 30 Only one recent survey in the United Kingdom (UK) showed itself more favourable to this type of tax, with 70% in support, 31 though at the time the UK survey was carried out, the tax had already been announced by the Government, and support for such measures is known to increase after their implementation. 13 In Catalonia, the only Autonomous Region in which the tax has been introduced, 12 the level of support also reached 70%, though the difference with respect to the rest of Spain was not statistically significant (data not shown in the tables).…”

“…This leap was particularly marked among people professing ideological alignment with the political centre and right, and among teenagers and young adults (ages 18-29 years), as was the case in Australia. 30 In addition to enjoying more popular support, price policies that combine taxes with subsidies are not only more effective, 34,35 but also mitigate the possible negative economic impacts of such taxes on the most underprivileged classes. 36 At all events, a recent review found that taxation measures have neutral or positive impacts on social inequalities in obesity and obesity-related habits, such as consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.…”

The Acceptance of Key Public Health Interventions by the Polish Population Is Related to Health Literacy, But Not eHealth Literacy

“…The analysis performed by Miller et al on the data coming from two surveys: a face-to-face survey conducted in 2014 and CATI survey in 2017, also showed that persons who attained higher levels of education expressed greater support for SSB tax than those with lower levels of education [59]. The acceptance of a sugar tax was frequently much greater if the tax revenue was to be allocated to obesity prevention, subsidies on healthy food or programmes promoting physical activity [59,60].…”

Insights on the Influence of Sugar Taxes on Obesity Prevention Efforts

“…In Canada, surveys of policy influencers revealed 57% support for taxes on foods and beverages, while support for public nutrition education received almost universal support (99%) [54]. In two other Australian studies, support for taxation increased when intentions to dedicate revenue to health initiatives were made clear [55, 56]. Dedicating at least 50% of revenue generated to programs that support health has been recommended [16].…”