Day 047 - 07 Nov 94 - Page 41
1
2 MR. JUSTICE BELL: This was one of the documents which was
3 mentioned the other day, but I have not had a copy yet. I
4 think I was offered a copy and said I would take it in due
5 course.
6
7 MS. STEEL: Can you possibly check, because I have got a
8 feeling----
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Is it behind something?
11
12 MS. STEEL: It did actually get handed up.
13
14 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Do you remember there was a discussion about
15 the standards of surveys? I do not recall ever actually
16 receiving a document at that time. Do you want me to have
17 a copy now? I have also been handed a National Food
18 Alliance press release and a newsletter. Where shall I put
19 these?
20
21 MS. STEEL: Behind Sue Dibb.
22
23 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Immediately before Miss Gallatley's
24 statement?
25
26 MS. STEEL: Yes. It says that a representative sample of 633
27 parents with children under the age of 15 were asked four
28 questions between the 16th and 20th June of this year.
29 Question 1 was: "I think there should be tougher
30 restrictions on the advertising of foods and soft drinks to
31 children", and 64 percent of parents agreed with this
32 statement, 26 percent disagreed. In fact, 69 percent of
33 mothers agreed with it, which was more than fathers.
34
35 Do you not think that that indicates that there is a
36 considerable body of concern about the effects of
37 advertising on children?
38 A. I think the question is: what do they believe the
39 restrictions are? When it says "there should be tougher
40 restrictions", one can interpret this sentence several
41 ways. One can interpret it as meaning that there should be
42 tougher restrictions on advertising to children than on
43 advertising to adults; and that, I believe, is how the
44 parents have interpreted that question.
45
46 You will understand that on the survey a number of
47 questions are added to a long list of questions on
48 different subjects. This is not research in depth. It is
49 a very useful way of getting an indication of people's
50 views, but it does depend on the wording of a question.
51
52 It is my view that the interpretation of this question by
53 parents has been that there should be tougher restrictions
54 on advertising to children than on advertising to adults;
55 and, indeed, we have such tougher restrictions now.
56
57 Q. Have you got any evidence or reason for believing that that
58 is the way the parents interpreted the question?
59 A. Yes, indeed we have. It is because we know how few
60 complaints there are about the advertising of food and soft