The role of mass media campaigns in preventing unintended pregnancy

This short paper discusses the potential of advertising campaigns to reduce rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States. The author did a review research indicating that past campaigns encouraging contraceptive use have affected the behavior of some members of their target populations, and presented simulation results suggesting that a publicly funded, nationwide campaign has the potential to reduce by more than 20,000 the number of children born into poverty each year, to save taxpayers substantially more money than is required to fund the campaign, and to effect meaningful reductions in rates of teenage pregnancy, non-marital childbearing, and abortion.