Table 2.
Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax support by respondent characteristics: a US Mid-Atlantic state registered voter sample (n 1000), February 2013
| Characteristic | Overall weighted % | Support SSB tax (weighted %) | P value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opinion of SSB tax | |||
| Support | 50·2 | – | – |
| Age (years) | |||
| ≥35 | 83·7 | 50·4 | 0·91 |
| 18–34 | 16·3 | 49·7 | |
| Gender | |||
| Female | 52·4 | 55·3 | <0·05 |
| Male | 47·6 | 44·9 | |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| White | 62·4 | 46·1 | <0·05 |
| African American/Black | 25·5 | 60·1 | |
| Other (Hispanic, Asian, Multiracial) | 12·1 | 55·9 | |
| Political party | |||
| Democrat | 55·6 | 60·6 | <0·001 |
| Republican | 24·9 | 30·2 | |
| Independent or other | 19·5 | 46·9 | |
| Education | |||
| High school or less | 24·7 | 45·2 | 0·45 |
| Some college/associate’s degree | 24·8 | 51·9 | |
| 4-year college/bachelor’s degree | 27·7 | 52·2 | |
| Postgraduate | 22·8 | 51·3 | |
| Income, annual before taxes | |||
| ≥$US 100 000 | 35·6 | 52·7 | 0·63 |
| $US 50 000–<100 000 | 39·7 | 50·9 | |
| <$US 50 000 | 24·7 | 56·0 | |
| Childhood obesity important concern | |||
| Yes | 84·9 | 54·1 | <0·001 |
| No | 15·0 | 29·0 | |
| Childhood obesity solution | |||
| Parental concern | 62·2 | 36·0 | <0·001 |
| Societal concern | 37·8 | 73·6 | |
| Daily SSB consumption | |||
| Yes | 27·2 | 41·2 | <0·05 |
| No | 72·8 | 53·7 | |
| SSB at home | |||
| Yes | 45·8 | 43·1 | <0·05 |
| No | 54·2 | 56·4 | |
| Health-care provider suggested weight loss | |||
| Yes | 42·3 | 46·6 | 0·06 |
| No | 57·7 | 53·3 | |
| Belief that SSB tax will be effective | |||
| Yes | 39·4 | 68·3 | <0·001 |
| No | 60·6 | 38·1 | |
| SSB are habit forming or addictive | |||
| Neither | 16·5 | 31·2 | <0·001 |
| Addictive | 61·3 | 57·2 | |
| Habit forming | 22·2 | 47·1 | |
| Belief in SSB and obesity relationship in children | |||
| No, do not contribute | 11·1 | 24·2 | <0·001 |
| Yes, only minor cause | 36·9 | 39·9 | |
| Yes, major cause | 51·9 | 64·8 | |
| Motivation among SSB drinkers to reduce consumption after health expert links SSB with obesity | |||
| Yes | 64·9 | 59·1 | <0·001 |
| No | 35·1 | 34·7 | |
*
P values based on Pearson’s χ 2 statistics to test the association between respondent characteristics and attitudes towards a state SSB tax, adjusting for the sampling design for all characteristics.