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NORC at the University Chicago

Ready to Quit Evaluation

The young man used his hand to break a cigarette into two. He wants to quit smoking for good health. world tobacco day.
Assessing the impact of a public health campaign to discourage vaping in Georgia’s smoke-free counties
  • Client
    Georgia Department of Public Health
  • Dates
    May 2024 – Present

Problem

Georgia wanted to understand the disparate effects of an anti-vaping campaign.

Georgia made vaping illegal in the state’s smoke-free counties in 2023. To help Georgians quit, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Division of Communication launched a two-phase Ready to Quit campaign. Phase I focused on general tobacco cessation while Phase II aimed to reduce vaping. Both phases used television, print, digital or social media, radio broadcasts, and out-of-home ads to reach current and potential tobacco users.

Phase I generated higher media impressions. Phase II saw higher website and Georgia Tobacco Quitline engagements, showing audience interest and increased information-seeking behaviors, each of which are precursors to tobacco cessation. DPH sought to understand more about the dynamics at play in both phases.

Solution

NORC conducted a multi-method health communication campaign evaluation that includes annual follow-ups. 

DPH contracted with NORC to conduct a health communication campaign evaluation to better understand the awareness and effectiveness of Ready to Quit. We analyzed all data sources analyzed individually and then triangulated them to provide a comprehensive understanding of the findings.

Result

Ready to Quit made a significant impression on Georgia’s tobacco users.

NORC’s findings indicate that Ready to Quit campaign messaging grabbed the attention of many Georgians, leading them to consider putting out their cigarettes and cigars, or tossing their vapes and chew, for good. DPH’s social media outreach alone yielded over four million social media impressions. This high number of impressions and high engagement drove increased information-seeking behaviors, a precursor to tobacco cessation behavior.

Feedback on campaign messaging was also positive. Georgians noted that the campaign’s ads were attention-grabbing, direct, to the point, and included useful information such as explicit call-to-actions and links to the campaign website and ability to text for more information.

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