Has social marketing had a positive impact on smoking cessation among young adults in Finland?

This research subject was selected because it is mundane, societal and affects everyone. The objective of this research was to study the usage of social marketing on smoking cessation among young adults in Finland. Its purpose was to examine whether the social marketing measures had worked or not. This thesis and its theory addressed social marketing’s origins and processes, the risks of smoking and social marketing measures on decreasing it as well as behavioral theories backing up this wanted change. The risks of smoking and the benefits from quitting were both looked at from different points of view. Those main aspects were social, health, economic and environmental. This theory will give an insight on the type of social marketing used in Finland on smoking cessation. The data used on the theory was collected from books, articles, websites, blogs as well as newspapers. This thesis was conducted as a quantitative research and the main product was an online survey. The survey targeted young adults aged between 18 and 30. The data collected was on individuals’ opinions, experiences as well as smoking habits. The method used to analyze was the reason why the research became quantitative. Overall, this research produces an overlook on how people response to social marketing on behavioral change. The results suggested that people did not find social marketing very effective. Instead, the negative impact on health and social interactions were highlighted throughout the answers. The rising prices of tobacco products were mentioned numerous times as well. Still, none of the measures truly affect availability