Soda tax, warning labels backed by voters, poll finds

Volunteers arrange a display showing the sugar content in soda drinks before a rally to launch a campaign to tax sugar-sweetened beverages in San Francisco. Supervisors Scott Wiener and Eric Mar combined their two competing measures to create a unified effort that would charge a 2-cents-per-ounce sugary drink tax. less Volunteers arrange a display showing the sugar content in soda drinks before a rally to launch a campaign to tax sugar-sweetened beverages in San Francisco. Supervisors Scott Wiener and Eric Mar combined their ... more Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Soda tax, warning labels backed by voters, poll finds 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A large, bipartisan majority of California voters support the idea of putting health-warning labels on sodas and other sugary drinks, while two-thirds of voters back a proposal to tax those drinks and use the money to make children healthier, according to a Field Poll released Thursday.

The poll of 1,002 registered California voters was paid for by the California Endowment, which supports making beverage manufacturers put warning labels on sugary drinks, but was conducted by the Field Poll. The Field Poll is a well-respected, nonpartisan research organization, and director Mark DiCamillo said the group had "total control" over how the questions were worded and asked.

The findings on the tax question are nearly identical to another survey conducted last year, also by the Field Poll. But most surprising, DiCamillo said, was the widespread support by all voters for a labeling system.

Poll question

Specifically, the poll asked respondents if they would support this warning label: "Studies show that daily consumption of sodas and other sugary drinks contribute to diabetes, obesity and tooth decay."

Overall, 74 percent of voters polled said they would support that sort of health-warning system, including 80 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of independents and 64 percent of Republicans.

"Why is that? My answer would be that the public is really supportive of disclosure in various forms - they tend to believe the public health community, and when they issue health warnings, they want that information out and known to the public," DiCamillo said. "Disclosure is the touchstone of agreement between Democrats and Republicans ... but when you ask the tax question, you do start to show the partisan differences."

Still, 67 percent of voters said they support a soda tax with proceeds benefiting school-nutrition and physical-activity programs.

GOP 'declining breed'

"It's still a majority, because Republicans are a declining breed in California," DiCamillo said.

DiCamillo said that it's unusual for a tax to have such strong support but that both this survey and last year's poll indicated that voters like the idea of funding programs that improve children's health. Supporters of a soda tax in San Francisco - who are working to place a measure on the November ballot - crafted their proposition to include that link. A similar measure that failed to pass in Richmond in 2012 did not earmark the money for children's health.

Another recent poll, this one of 500 likely San Francisco voters and commissioned by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and conducted by David Binder Research, found the proposed local soda tax falling well short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass.

"People don't like taxes, but if the money is going to benefit kids, reduce the chances of obesity, diabetes, other health risks, that's where support balloons," DiCamillo said. "The reason there is such strong support statewide is that linkage between the tax and how the money is spent."

The Field Poll, which was taken between Nov. 14 and Dec. 5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points, also found that a majority of voters, including low-income voters, support restricting food stamp rules so recipients cannot use them to buy sodas or other sugary drinks.

A majority of Californians additionally back restrictions on soda and sugary drink sales at places where children congregate, such as schools, hospitals, child care centers and youth centers, the poll found.