摘要：Objectives . This study examined African Americans’ opinions regarding cigarette excise taxes and other tobacco control issues. Methods . A stratified cluster sample of US congressional districts represented by African Americans was selected. African Americans from 10 districts were interviewed. Results . Forty-seven percent of respondents stated that taxes on tobacco products should be increased, whereas about 30% believed that they should be reduced. Almost 75% disagreed that raising taxes on tobacco products is unfair to African Americans, and 57.9% reported that they would not be opposed to increasing taxes on cigarettes even if low-income smokers would be hit the hardest. Conclusions . The present results indicate substantial support for cigarette excise taxes among African Americans. Considerable discussion has taken place within African American communities regarding tobacco control issues. 1 Notably, these topics include excess smoking prevalence rates among certain groups (e.g., African American males, individuals with low incomes), 2, 3 high rates of morbidity and mortality from smoking-related diseases, 2 factors protecting teenagers from early initiation, 4 cigarette promotion and sales especially to African American youths, 5– 7 culturally effective intervention strategies, 8, 9 anti-tobacco activism, 2, 10 the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, and the role of the tobacco industry in supporting community organizations. 10, 11 Studies have shown that increasing excise taxes on cigarettes decreases smoking prevalence rates 12– 14 and can generate revenue for tobacco cessation and prevention programs. 15, 16 Although a tax increase is attractive to many tobacco control advocates and policymakers, it has been argued that the burden of increased costs of purchasing cigarettes will be disproportionately borne by low-income persons, 14 many of whom are African American. Moreover, African Americans may be more likely than Whites to be sold single cigarettes, which are both illegal and more costly than standard pack sales. 17 Additionally, as some studies have shown, minors in minority neighborhoods 6, 17 and in both minority and non-minority low income urban areas 7 have greater opportunities to procure single cigarettes as a result of regulatory violations by merchants. The issue of increasing excise taxes is particularly germane to African Americans precisely because it raises the question of fairness or equity (e.g., the regressive nature of cigarette taxes). 18– 20 Others have noted that an increase in cigarette excise taxes might instead help those who most need it (and thus potentially be “progressive”), because low-income individuals would benefit more than others from reductions in smoking-related morbidity and mortality. 21, 22 Farrelly and Bray 23 found, in their study of National Health Interview Survey data from 1976 to 1993, that African Americans and Hispanics, especially those between the ages of 18 and 24 years, exhibited a more pronounced response (i.e., in terms of reducing the number of cigarettes they consumed and quitting) than did Whites to an increase in the price of cigarettes. Although there has been a good deal of speculation, little systematic research has been conducted regarding African Americans’ opinions on tobacco control issues. An exception is the work of Becker and colleagues, 24 who found that African Americans residing in Maryland were largely in favor of restrictive policies regarding tobacco and that these restrictions were more acceptable to nonsmokers than to smokers. Another study, conducted in the late 1980s, showed that African Americans were as likely as or more likely than Whites to agree with policies restricting the promotion and use of cigarettes. 25 However, neither of these studies reported findings related to cigarette taxation. Results of a recent study based on the 1999 California Tobacco Survey revealed that half of African American respondents supported a $0.50-per-pack cigarette excise tax, compared with 55.3% of non-Hispanic Whites, 61.1% of Asians, and 65.9% of Hispanics. 26 To our knowledge, the present study is the first to provide a detailed analysis of the opinions of a nationally dispersed sample of African Americans regarding cigarette taxation. Moreover, we investigated the suggestion that the viewpoints of African Americans regarding social and political issues in American society are associated with their opinions about increasing cigarette excise taxes. In this connection, we examined perceptions concerning the political efficacy of African American legislators, the ease with which youths can purchase cigarettes in their communities, and the perceived prevalence of smoking among African Americans.
