National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Cigarette Brand Preferences
July 11, 2003

Cigarette Brand Preferences

In Brief

  • In 2001, Marlboro was the cigarette brand used most often by past month cigarette smokers, followed by Newport, Camel, Basic, and Doral

  • Approximately 85 percent of cigarette smokers aged 12 to 25 smoked one of the three most used brands, whereas smokers aged 26 or older reported more diversity in cigarette brand selection

  • White and Hispanic smokers were most likely to use Marlboro, while black smokers were most likely to use Newport
    •

The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) asks respondents to report whether they smoked part or all of a cigarette during the 30 days prior to the survey interview. Respondents who reported smoking part or all of a cigarette in the past 30 days were also asked to report which cigarette brand they smoked most often during that time.1 Responses were analyzed by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and geographic region for comparative purposes.2

Cigarette Prevalence
According to the 2001 NHSDA, an estimated 56 million persons aged 12 or older (25 percent) smoked part or all of a cigarette during the past month. Thirteen percent of youths aged 12 to 17, 39 percent of young adults aged 18 to 25, and 24 percent of adults 26 or older reported past month smoking, as did about one fourth of males (27 percent) and females (23 percent). Twenty–six percent of whites were past month smokers, as were 24 percent of blacks and 21 percent of Hispanics. Past month smoking was reported by 27 percent of persons living in the Midwest, 24 percent in the Northeast, 26 percent in the South, and 22 percent in the West.

Cigarette Brands Used Most Often
In 2001, Marlboro was the brand used most often by past month cigarette smokers, followed by Newport, Camel, Basic, and Doral (Figure 1). Other brands reported by at least 2 percent of past month smokers were Winston, Kool, GPC, Salem, and Virginia Slims.

Figure 1. Percentages of Past Month Cigarette Smokers Aged 12 or Older Reporting Cigarette Brands Used Most Often During the Past Month: 2001

Figure 2. Percentages of Past Month Cigarette Smokers Aged 12 or Older Reporting Cigarette Brands Used Most Often During the Past Month, by Age Group: 2001
Figure 1. Percentages of Past Month Cigarette Smokers Aged 12 or Older Reporting Cigarette Brands Used Most Often During the Past Month: 2001 Figure 2: Percentages of Past Month Cigarette Smokers Aged 12 or Older Reporting Cigarette Brands Used Most Often During the Past Month, by Age Group: 2001

Demographic Differences in Cigarette Brand Use
Prior research has shown that cigarette brand use varies by age, gender, and race.3,4,5 Among past month smokers, Marlboro was the brand used most often in the past month by youths aged 12 to 17 (55 percent), young adults aged 18 to 25 (54 percent), and older adults aged 26 or older (38 percent) (Figure 2). Older adults aged 26 or older reported a greater diversity of brand preference compared with youths and young adults. Among past month smokers, the 5 brands used most often by youths and young adults accounted for 91 percent of youth smokers and 89 percent of young adult smokers, whereas the 5 brands used most among smokers aged 26 or older accounted for only 62 percent of smokers in this age group.

Among white smokers, Marlboro was the brand used most often in the past month followed by Camel (Figure 3). Marlboro also was the brand used most often by Hispanics, followed by Newport. Among blacks, Newport was the brand used most often, followed by Kool.

Among past month smokers aged 12 or older, males (44 percent) and females (39 percent) were more likely to smoke Marlboro than any other brand (data not shown in any figure). Newport was the second most used brand among males (10 percent) and females (11 percent). Camel was the third most used brand among males (9 percent), while Basic was the third most used brand among females (5 percent).

Figure 3. Percentages of Past Month Cigarette Smokers Aged 12 or Older Reporting Cigarette Brands Used Most Often During the Past Month, by Race/Ethnicity*: 2001

Table 1. Percentages and Standard Errors of Past Month Cigarette Smokers Aged 12 or Older Reporting Cigarette Brands Used Most Often During the Past Month, by Race/Ethnicity** and Geographic Division: 2001
Figure 3. Percentages of Past Month Cigarette Smokers Aged 12 or Older Reporting Cigarette Brands Used Most Often During the Past Month, by Race/Ethnicity*: 2001 Table 1. Percentages and Standard Errors of Past Month Cigarette Smokers Aged 12 or Older Reporting Cigarette Brands Used Most Often During the Past Month, by Race/Ethnicity** and Geographic Division: 2001

Geographic Differences in Cigarette Brand Use
Marlboro was the cigarette brand used most often by past month smokers in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West (Table 1). Newport was the second most smoked brand in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, while Camel was the second most smoked brand in the West. Among white smokers, Marlboro was used more often than any other brand in all four geographic regions, Newport was ranked second in the Northeast, and Camel was ranked second in the West. Among black smokers, Newport was used more than any other brand in all four geographic regions and Kool was the second most smoked brand in the Midwest and South. In the Northeast, Marlboro was the second most smoked brand while Basic was ranked second in the West. Among Hispanic smokers, Marlboro was used more often than any other brand in the Midwest, South, and West. In the Northeast, Marlboro and Newport were used by similar percentages of Hispanic smokers.

End Notes
  1. Respondents who reported smoking part or all of a cigarette during the 30 days prior to the survey interview were asked, "During the past 30 days, what brand of cigarettes did you smoke most often?" Respondents were given 60 brands of cigarettes to choose from, and could write in the brand used most often if it was not included on the list.

  2. Regions consist of the following groups of States: Northeast Region: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Midwest Region: Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri. South Region: West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama. West Region: Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska.

  3. Kopstein, A. (2001). Tobacco use in America: Findings from the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (DHHS Publication No. SMA 02–3622, Analytic Series A–15). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies.

  4. Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (1999). Cigarette brands smoked by American teens: One brand predominates; three account for nearly all of teen smoking [press release]. University of Michigan News and Information Services: Ann Arbor, MI.

  5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1990, September 28). Cigarette brand use among adult smokers — United States, 1986. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 39(38), 665, 671–673. [Also available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001783.htm]
Figure and Table Notes
* Low precision; no estimate reported.

** Estimates for American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or Asian respondents are not shown due to low precision.

Source (all figures and table): SAMHSA 2001 NHSDA.
The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 2001 data are based on information obtained from 69,000 persons aged 12 or older. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face–to–face interviews at their place of residence.

The NHSDA Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Information and data for this issue are based on the following publication:

Office of Applied Studies. (2002). Results from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of national findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 02–3758, NHSDA Series H–17). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Also available on–line:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov.

Additional tables available upon request.
The NHSDA Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available online: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated.

This page was last updated on December 30, 2008.