the probe — ^were used to great 

 advantage when the survey 

 sought the reasons for not 

 using, seldom using, or dis- 

 continuing the use of canned 

 tunaj_7 



The reasons given for not using tuna 

 by the "never users" (those who had not 

 used tuna in the 12 months prior to the 

 interview) in all three cities referro i 

 primarily to a lack of appeal to the 

 senses; 5U percent in Birmingham; 66 per- 

 cent in Detroit and Boston. Reasons re- 

 lated to health were given by Hi percent, 

 39 percent, and 31 percent, respectively, 

 flifficulty in preparation or use were the 

 reasons offered by 11 percent, 6 percent, 

 and 9 percent, respectively. "Price too 

 high" was mentioned by only 13 percent of 

 the "never users" in Birminghain, 7 percent 

 in Detroit, and was not mentioned in 

 Boston. 



Some of these "never users" had used 

 tuna sometime in the past; 38 percent in 

 Birmingham, 31 percent in Boston, and 52 

 percent in Detroit. The major reasons 

 given by this group for discontinuing the 

 use of tuna were related to a lack of sense 

 appeal by 3U percent in Birmingham and rea- 

 sons referring to health by 38 percent in 

 Detroit. Also, in Detroit, 35 percent re- 

 ported tha^ tuna was not worth the trouble 

 to prepare; 22 percent gave reasons in 

 this category in Birmingham. Only 9 per- 

 cent in Birmingham and 2 percent in Detroit 

 said that they abstained from usiiig tuna 

 because it was too expensive. The number 

 of respondents in this category in Boston 

 was insignificant. 



The reasons for using tuna infrequently 

 as reported by the "sporadic users" (those 

 who had served tuna in the 12 months prior 

 to the interview but not in the U weeks 

 prior to the interview) dealt mainly with 

 lack of sense appeal: Birmingham, 63 per- 

 cent; Boston, 62 percent; and Detroit, 55 

 percent. Price was mentioned as a reason 

 by 111 percent in Birmingham, 1 percent in 

 Boston, and 11 percent in Detroit, /.bout 

 1 out of 10 of these respondents in BiJ'ming- 

 ham and 1 out of 6 in Boston and Detroit 

 said they only used canned tuna during the 

 summer. 



More than one -third of the sporadic 

 users reported that they used tuna more 

 often in the past and gave "reduction in 

 family size" as their primary reasons for 

 now serving tuna less often. A smaller 

 group gave "health or diet reasons." 



/iS explanations, approximately two- 

 thirds of the tuna non-users, "never 

 users", and "sporadic users" combined, in 

 Birmingham and Detroit reported that at 

 least one household member liked tuna; 

 only itO percent of the tuna non-user 

 households in Boston were reported to be 

 in this category. 



Canned Tuna Advertising 



Among all persons interviewed, 6U per- 

 cent in Birrainghairi, 76 percent in Boston, 

 and 70 percent in Detroit said they had 

 seen or heard advertising for canned tuna. 

 The medium mentioned most frequently by 

 those exposed to advertising in Birmingham 

 was magazines, 59 percent, followed by 

 television, 55 percent; newspapers, hh per- 

 cent; with radio a poor fourth at 13 per- 

 cent. In Boston, on the other hand, tele- 

 vision was mentioned by 76 percent, fol- 

 lowed by magazines and newspapers with 30 

 percent each; and radio 11 percent. In 

 Detroit, magazines again led with 61 per- 

 cent; followed by nevrspapers with 58 per- 

 cent; television, U6 percent; and radio 

 only 7 percent. 



The frequency of canned tuna consump- 

 tion is related to exposure to advertising 

 for canned tuna in all three cities; The 

 proportion of respondents v7ho said they 

 had seen or heard any advertising for 

 canned tuna increased with frequency of 

 tuna consumption in all of the cities. For 

 example, in Birmingham, the increase in 

 this proportion is from. IjO percent among 

 the never users to 82 percent among the 

 heavy users of tuna. Similarly, the in- 

 crease is from hi percent among the never 

 users in Boston to 8U percent for the 

 heavy users and in Detroit, from 56 per- 

 cent to 77 percent. 



Clearly, advertising has increased 

 tuna consumption although the survey does 

 not provide specific m.easurements as to how 

 effective advertising has been. 



