POLL: Kids and Commercialism Poll 2002
by New Dream | December 13, 2002
This summary highlights the major findings of a nationally representative telephone study conducted among 750 American teens ages 12 to 17. The “Youth and Advertising” poll was conducted by Widmeyer Communications for the Center a New American Dream in 2002.
The major conclusions of the study are as follows:
1. A major reason American teenagers love to buy things is to build self-esteem. Owning certain products simply makes teens feel better about themselves.
2. Most American teenagers are influenced by product advertising. They like to ask their parents for products they see advertised in magazines, on TV and on the Internet.
3. A significant number of teenagers want to buy advertised products that their parents do not approve of, such as certain video games, CDs, clothes and body piercings. And most keep asking and asking and asking until their parents finally give in.