The third-person effect hypothesis predicts that people when exposed to persuasive messages and media contents understood as negative, harmful or socially undesirable, tend to underestimate the effects of its contents on themselves and overestimate the effects on others. On the other hand, people tend to overestimate the effects of messages and contents considered positive, beneficial and socially desirable on themselves and underestimate the impact of its contents on others. The latter is referred to as the reverse third person effect or the first person effect. Based on the assumptions above, this paper initially discusses the facts and variables that moderate the third person effect. Secondly, empirical research verifies the estimated effects produced by smokers and nonsmokers in Salvador towards the anti-tobacco advertising from the Brazilian Federal Health State Department. The sample consisted of 102 smokers and non-smokers from Salvador who estimated the effects on themselves, on smokers and on non-smokers of the antitobacco advertising mentioned above.
Communication theories; Third-person effect; Tobacco; Public opinion; Media effects