The American Legacy Foundation investigated that are cigarette preferences of American youths. It were surveyed minors aged 13 to 18. Results were based on responses of over 3,500 US teens.

Investigations showed that most preferred are three brands: Marlboro, Camel and Newport. These brands are smoked by 78 % of American youth. Surveyed sustained that 50 % of them prefer Marlboro, 14 % prefer Newport, and 14 % prefer Camel.

Also, American Legacy Foundation found out that preference differs racially and ethnically. Marlboro is smoked by 53 % of whites, 62 % of Hispanic and while only 12% by African Americans. But, African Americans were more likely to select Newport as their usual brand, with 32 percent of youth reporting this preference.

Youths also more like cigarettes that aren’t strong in taste. Nearly 40 percent reported that they usually smoke cigarettes labeled as “light,” “ultra-light,” or “mild.” The proportion of youth who smoke lights is larger for older youth, with only 18 percent of smokers aged 13 to 15 preferring lights compared to 32 percent of smokers aged 16 to 18 preferring lights.

As well, it was detected that the biggest part of cigarette smokers prefers mentholated brands. Around 37% of youth smokers reported that they usually smoke menthol cigarettes. Use of menthols is also strongly associated with race and ethnicity: 81% of African American smokers report usually smoking menthol cigarettes, compared with 45% of Hispanic and 32% of white smokers.

The survey also found that sweet flavored cigarettes have their place on list of youth tobacco preferences. Over 11% of youth smokers have tried cigarettes flavored with candy or other flavors (not including menthol). However, many more, 52% of youth smokers who had heard of flavored cigarettes, indicated interest in trying them.