About 96% of 1,004 people polled say the event has succeeded in making people aware of the disease. Nearly 80% say they know someone who has had breast cancer.
And most contribute to the cause, especially if shopping is involved: 84% of all Americans including 95% of those ages 18 to 29 now “shop for the cure,” buying pink products with a breast cancer tie-in.
The poll “confirms what we know from experience — people are committed to ending breast cancer and are willing to donate, volunteer, participate in events and buy products that will support that effort,” says Nancy Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “This doesn’t mean that they don’t care about other issues or other diseases, but breast cancer touches so many people’s lives that it’s very real to them and they want to take action.”
Yet one in three adults, and nearly half of women under 50, say the intense focus on breast cancer overshadows other worthy causes.
“I cannot help but be envious and wish melanoma got even a fraction of the attention and funding,” says Donna Regen of Allen, Texas, who lost her daughter to melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. “I admire the success of the marketing, (but) I wish we would see a little less pink,” and more support for other cancers.
