Evaluation of Retailers' Behaviour Towards
Certain Youth Access-to-Tobacco Restrictions - 2007

Key Results

This is the 12th report on the measurement of retailer behaviour towards youth access to tobacco products. This research, carried out on a regular basis since 1995, has provided a unique and continuous perspective on retailer behaviour and in-store advertising and promotion of tobacco products for Health Canada during that time.

This study was designed to measure retailer behaviour at a national level. A total of 5,588 retail stores were visited in this data collection. The national results reported in this document reflect the core 30 cities for which data has been collected since 2002 (prior to 2002 data was collected in 25 "core" cities).

Overview

• Nationally*, in 2007, 85.9% of retailers refused to sell cigarettes to underage Canadians, which is the highest recorded level since measuring retailer behaviour began in 1995. This latest result in 2007 represents a statistically significant increase from the 2006 result (81.7%) and demonstrates continued improvement by retailers in reducing youth access to tobacco.

• The significant increase (+4.2%) in 2007 is a result of improvements in retailer refusal rates in the majority of cities within Eastern Canada.

• The rate at which retailers refused to sell cigarettes to minors was higher than the national average (85.9%) in 19 out of 30 cities, located in all 10 provinces.

• The percentage of retailers who asked for ID increased significantly this year (83.2%) compared to 2006 (79.9%), and is also at the highest level since measuring retailer behaviour began.

• Compliance levels are similar to last year; they are almost 100% when ID was asked for by the retailers and less than 38% when ID was not asked for, indicating a direct correlation between retailer policing (asking for ID) and compliance levels.

• Of the 5,588 retailers visited, 39.2% displayed "Operation ID" materials, a decrease from last year (55.2%) and 2005 (44.7%). Retailers displaying "Operation ID" signs were more likely than those not displaying the signs to refuse a sale to minors (87.5% vs 84.8%).

• There is an increasing trend in compliance levels for each of the four retailer trade categories from 1995 to 2007. Chain convenience stores are the first to surpass the 90% compliance level with 9 out of 10 refusing cigarette sales to minors in 2007.

• Approximately two-thirds (67.1%) of all retail outlets comply with sign provisions, no different from last year's result of 68.6%.

• A declining trend in the distribution of point of sales (POS) signs in retail establishments has been noted since 2004. In 2007, 32.0% of retail outlets displayed POS signs. In 2007, the most common type of POS advertising is shelf talkers (35.4%), followed by posters (24.1%), countertop displays (18.8%) and danglers (13.3%).

Compliance by Minors' Age and Sex

• As in previous years, the percentage of retailers refusing to sell cigarettes to minors increased as the age of minor decreased. Sales were refused to 93.2% of 15 year olds, compared to 85.8% of 16 year olds and 81.9% of 17 year olds.

• There was no difference in refusal rates between female (86.2%) and male (85.5%) teens who were attempting to buy cigarettes from a retailer.

• Among 21 cities where stores were visited by 15 year olds, only 1 scored below 80% compliance. Two cities scored between 80% and 90% and retailers in 19 cities scored higher than 90%.

• A higher percentage of retailers displaying "Operation ID" materials, compared to those not displaying "Operation ID" materials, asked for proof of age among 15 (95.0% versus 92.2%) and 17 (84.5% versus 80.3%) year olds. This was not the case with 16 (86.2% versus 85.6%) year olds.

Compliance by Clerks' Age and Sex

• The highest compliance rate was among the group of clerks who appeared older than 25 (but not senior), where 87.4% refused sale of cigarettes to the minor.

• Similarly, 85.5% of clerks who appeared to be under age 25 (but older than the minor) and 83.3% clerks who appeared to be senior refused sale of cigarettes to under-aged youth. The lowest refusal rate was among clerks who appeared around the same age as the minor (69.1%.) and was the only group whose refusal rate of cigarette sales to the minor was below 80%.

• There was no difference between female and male clerks refusing the sale of cigarettes to a minor (86.0% versus 85.7%). Compliance levels for refusal to sell or asking for ID have increased over the previous year for both female and male clerks.

Compliance by Retailer Type

• Chain convenience stores obtained the highest compliance level at 91.0%, followed by grocery stores (88.8%), gas stores/kiosks (87.3%), and independent convenience stores (82.9%).

• National compliance with mandatory sign laws** was highest among chain convenience stores, at 75.4%, followed by grocery stores (75.3%), gas stores/kiosks (69.4%), and independent convenience stores (61.6%).

• There was no significant difference in compliance when retailers were near a school and/or mall (84.7%), or located elsewhere (86.7%)

• The number of ads in outlets with ads has decreased approximately 35%, from 1.7 ads in 2006 to 1.1 ads in 2007. The highest number of ads is found in chain convenience at 1.6 ads, followed by gas stores/kiosks and independent convenience both at 1.2 ads.
  
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Conclusions

• The increase in retailer compliance over time has contributed to the decrease in the prevalence of smoking among youth under the legal age to purchase cigarettes and a decrease in the percentage of youth accessing cigarettes in retail stores.

• The continued increase in retailers' compliance will assist towards attaining the FTCS goal (2007 to 2011) of reducing the prevalence of Canadian youth (15 to 17 year olds) who smoke from 15% to 9%. The next data collection on retailer behaviour will take place in the summer of 2008.

To obtain a PDF version of the complete report (available in English and French), please contact Tobacco Control Programme.