To Protect Teens, U.S. Adults Back New R-Rating for Films With Tobacco Research shows that one-third to one-half of youth smoking initiation can be attributed to movie smoking, and the CDC has repeatedly cited on-screen tobacco as an important reason why the historical decline in teen smoking has stalled. This month, a new study shows that public opinion agrees. Eighty-one percent of adults in the United States agree that adolescents are more likely to smoke if they watch actors smoke in movies, and 70 percent back a new R-rating for all movies with tobacco, according to the latest Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control, an annual poll of public attitudes about tobacco control policies. The American Medical Association (AMA) Alliance and researchers from Mississippi State University's Social Science Research Center made the announcement during the AMA's National Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 12. According to the report, public concern over the issue of tobacco imagery on screen has grown significantly over the past year: Support for an R-rating for movies with tobacco that fail to portray its health risks jumped 12 percent between 2005 and 2006. Two-thirds of adults want movie theaters to show anti-tobacco spots before any film with tobacco images, up nearly six percent from the year before. Nearly 61 percent of adults want tobacco branding out of all movie scenes, a rise of seven percent. AMA Alliance members have launched a national, grassroots parent-to-parent campaign to clear tobacco imagery from future movies rated G, PG, and PG-13 by calling on the Motion Picture Association of American and movie studios to implement voluntary solutions to reduce youth exposure to movie smoking. Four core principles around the issue of movie smoking and the initiative itself — Screen Out — have been endorsed by several national public health organizations including the American Medical Association, American Heart Association, and the American Legacy Foundation. In 2003, Legacy conducted two community surveys and one national survey to measure public attitudes regarding the four principles, which ask movie studios to: Rate New Smoking Movies "R"; Certify No Pay Offs; (i.e. no one involved with the film received anything of value for displaying tobacco) Require Strong Anti-smoking Ads; Stop Identifying Tobacco Brands. When Legacy conducted its surveys in 2003, 46 percent of US adults supported an "R" rating for movie smoking, compared with 70 percent adult support in 2006, according to the Social Climate Survey. In contrast, support for prohibiting the appearance of tobacco brands has declined from 76 percent of US adults in 2003 to nearly 61 percent in 2006. Finally, public support for anti-smoking PSAs before movies with smoking in them has remained relatively steady since 2003.