UNGDOMARS ZYN PÅ VITT SNUS. Ungas perspektiv på sambandet mellan reklam, medier och användning av vitt snus

Abstract

Executive summary The purpose of this study is to discuss how young consumers of nicotine pouches experience the advertising and mediated content about nicotine pouches, and how the media and advertisement play a potential role in a growing trend among young people to use white snus. To provide a background for this discussion we also asked the participants which other factors they deemed important in developing their habits of using nicotine pouches. Statistics show that the consumption of nicotine pouches is common within the Swedish population, especially among the age group of 16-29. The increasing trend is most visible among young women, even though they have previously been underrepresented in the use of tobacco snus. Due to the increasing use of nicotine pouches, which comes with health risks, the Swedish government introduced a law in 2022 that regulates the marketing and advertisement of nicotine pouches. The law restricts and forbids advertisements directed toward people under 25 years of age. Before the law, a large amount of advertising occurred on social media platforms, which, as previous studies have shown, was connected to the use of nicotine pouches among youths. This study employed a qualitative research method, relying on 10 interviews with young white snus consumers, between the ages 21-25. During the interviews, the respondents were asked questions about their use of white snus and how they became users, what factors led them to start using it. They were also asked about how they perceived the media content and advertisements of nicotine pouches, and they discussed how, or if, they may have been affected by the content. The respondents' answers were analyzed using social learning theory and the cultivation theory. The interviews reveal that the social factors are the primary drivers behind young people's initiation to the usage of nicotine pouches. The participants show signs of social learning and imitation regarding the usage of nicotine pouches. Additionally, exposure to nicotine pouches related content on social media, including advertisements, was perceived as reinforcing positive attitudes towards nicotine pouches. This aligned with the cultivation theory, which suggests that repeated exposure to such content normalizes the usage of nicotine pouches. Interestingly, while media news coverage often highlighted the health risk associated with nicotine pouches, participants often felt they lacked sufficient information about these risks. Therefore they did not feel compelled to change their behavior. Many expressed that more accessible and detailed health-related information could potentially discourage the usage of nicotine pouches. Furthermore, participants noted that the minimal information about the risks of nicotine pouches compared to other tobacco products influenced their preference for it. The role of identity was also significant, with participants emphasizing the importance of the flavor of the nicotine pouches in defining their self-image. This finding resonates with earlier studies linking usage of tobacco products to feelings of belonging, social status, and identity creation. Among the participants there is a general perception of not being directly influenced by the advertising they have encountered, both in the early stages of their habits of using nicotine pouches and in the current day. Several interviewees suggest that their initial habits of using nicotine pouches were shaped more by social factors than by advertising. However, some believe they may have been unconsciously influenced without realizing at the time. Many also believe that others are more influenced by advertising than themselves and are supportive of stricter regulations on marketing of nicotine pouches. They think such measures could reduce the likelihood of others starting to use nicotine pouches. Interviewees also recall past social media advertising as being "aggressive," targeting young people, particularly girls and young women. Indications can be interpreted that advertising may have contributed to creating a social phenomenon and shaped this generation’s view of nicotine pouches as a normalized, yet addictive product. In summary, both conscious and unconscious influences from advertising, social environments, and marketing through product design appear to work together in creating and maintaining habits of using nicotine pouches among youths.