Newswise — The latest survey has found the majority of smokers in Oklahoma supportive of new restrictions that keep them from lighting up in work places and most restaurants. The survey was released the same day the Surgeon General broadcast his latest findings on the dangers of second-hand smoke.
Of the 800 Oklahomans surveyed, 84 percent favor and 10 percent oppose the current state law prohibiting smoking in most public places and work places including restaurants. "Among smokers, our survey found 55 percent support and 41 percent oppose the law which took effect last March," said Dr. Josh Wiener, director of the Center for Social and Services Marketing in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University.
According to Wiener, the survey, conducted by the center in May and June, found most smokers agree that restaurants are better with the new restrictions, 70 percent say they are healthier compared to 26 percent who say less healthy, and 34 percent say it is more enjoyable compared to 23 percent who say less enjoyable. Ninety percent of the general population and over 70 percent of smokers agree, with the statements that "all workers should be protected from exposure to second hand smoke," and that "the right of customers and employees to breathe clean air is more important than the right of customers to smoke in indoor places."
The study also found that many smokers have negative attitudes towards smoking: 78 percent agree smoking is a major health problem, 75 percent agree everyone would be a lot better off if people did not smoke, and 35 percent agree they are bothered by cigarette smoke. Many smokers have positive attitudes towards bans for specific purposes. For instance, 83 percent of smokers agreed bans were very effective for helping workers avoid second hand smoke, and 69 percent agreed bans were very effective for improving public health.
The one negative attitude smokers expressed towards bans is that over 70 percent viewed them as some form of government interference whereas 30-40 percent (depending on how the question was asked) of nonsmokers viewed the bans in this way. "It appears that one predictor of a person's attitude toward smoking bans is whether they see the ban more as a means of improving public health or as a form of government interference," Weiner concluded, noting that about half of all smokers see bans as interference and almost all nonsmokers see bans as a means of improving public health.
RSS