To revel in someone else's misfortune? An exploration of the perception of Indonesian smokers towards tobacco marketing - A virtue ethics perspective

For a number of years tobacco companies have had a significant political and financial influence in Indonesia. The tobacco industry is one of the Indonesian government’s largest sources of tax revenue. In some regions, it is also the largest source of employment. In 2014 the Indonesian government introduced new regulations, which require the use of pictorial warning on cigarette packaging and restrict the advertising, promotion and sponsorships of cigarette brands. A study that investigates the perception of end consumers towards the ethics of tobacco marketing in Indonesia does not yet exist. Therefore, by conducting three focus groups, which involve 20 Indonesian smokers from different socio-demographic background, this study aims to examine Indonesian consumer perception on the ethics of tobacco marketing. The findings indicate that most smokers believed that most tobacco marketing activities were targeted at the vulnerable groups, children and/or teenagers. Overall, there is a complex, multi-faceted, less-than-ideal, view from the participants as despite the fact that the majority of them believed that sponsoring events and scholarship are somehow unethical, financial restraints make them more tolerant towards these practices. The findings of the study could be used as consideration by Indonesian regulators on how best to implement tobacco control.