By a 2-to-1 margin, registered voters in California support a tax on soda and other sugary drinks with the revenue used to finance nutrition and physical activity programs in schools, the results of a Field Poll show. By a 4-to-1 margin, they back warning labels on sodas and sugary drinks stating that “daily consumption of these drinks contributes to diabetes, obesity and tooth decay,” the polling company said. The poll found that voters believe the greatest health threat for California children is unhealthy eating and lack of exercise.
Large majorities also supported a ban on sale of sugary drinks in children’s facilities and a requirement to serve milk or water with children’s meals at restaurants rather than sodas.
“Women, ethnic groups and lower-income Latinos, in particular, are the voter segments most likely to support these proposals,” said The Field Poll. The company contacted 1,253 registered voters in December and early January for its survey.
The poll was released two days after the Davis City Council decided, 3-2, against a June referendum on a 1-cent per ounce soda tax. “The tax proposal was modeled after a similar policy in Berkeley, which in 2014 became the first city in the nation to impose a tax on sugary beverages,” said the Sacramento Bee. Small-business owners said the tax would drive down sales and threaten their thin profit margins. The council endorsed an increase in the so-called hotel tax.
Six months after Berkeley began collecting the tax, it had generated $693,000 for city programs for nutrition and health, one researcher told the San Jose Mercury News last November. Prices for soda had gone up but it was easy to find soda at bargain prices, said the newspaper. Researchers say a soda tax in Mexico led to a drop in soda sales. The beverage industry has contested the results.