University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2017 Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes in Vermont: Media Framing and Public Perception Benjamin Lloyd Crosby University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Part of the Economics Commons, Mass Communication Commons, and the Nutrition Commons Recommended Citation Crosby, Benjamin Lloyd, "Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes in Vermont: Media Framing and Public Perception" (2017). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 696. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/696 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE TAXES IN VERMONT: MEDIA FRAMING AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION A Thesis Presented by Benjamin L. Crosby to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Specializing in Community Development and Applied Economics May, 2017 Defense Date: 11/11/2016 Thesis Examination Committee: Jane Kolodinsky, Ph.D., Advisor Jean Harvey, Ph.D., RD, Chairperson Richard Watts, Ph.D Cynthia J. Forehand, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College ABSTRACT This thesis explores the conversation surrounding the recent attempts by the Vermont Legislature to pass a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage tax in the years 2014-2016. We explore the common perceptions expressed by a sample of Vermont residents and also look at how Vermont media outlets portrayed the tax through frames of reference.