Tobacco Documents Online

Smoking Attitudes Study

Abstract

This report, Smoking Attitudes Study, appears to have been produced for the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1982. It is based on surveys done taken from 1500 people (500 smokers, 500 former smokers and 500 adults who had never smoked).

The report makes it clear that workplace smoking restrictions threaten the tobacco industry's profits:

"WE FOUND THAT 60% OF ALL WORKERS HAVE SOME SORT OF SMOKING RESTRICTIONS AT THEIR PLACE OF WORK AND A FULL 22% OF SMOKERS DON'T SMOKE AT ALL AT WORK. THE EFFECT ON INDUSTRY VOLUME AS A RESULT OF THESE RESTRICTIONS IS OBVIOUS.

The survey also clearly reveals, however, that a majority of smokers and nonsmokers alike, actually prefer smoking restrictions. It even reports that 79% of smokers desire smoking restrictions in restaurants and that smokers living under restrictions prefer them to no restrictions at all:

"...THE FIRST CONCLUSION THAT RESULTED FROM THE RESEARCH WE CONDUCTED IS THAT A MAJORITY OF ALL ADULTS WANT SMOKING RESTRICTIONS IN PUBLIC PLACES.

AS AN EXAMPLE, WE ASKED SMOKERS IF THEY FELT SMOKING RESTRICTION SHOULD EXIST IN RESTAURANTS. OF SMOKERS LIVING IN REGULATED AREAS, 79% AGREED WITH THIS STATEMENT VERSUS ONLY 36% 0F SMOKERS LIVING IN NON-REGULATED AREAS.

The report explains that smokers find restrictions helpful because they clarify where they can and cannot smoke, thus reducing confrontations over their tobacco use:

"IT IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS SENTIMENT EXISTS. SMOKERS FEEL LESS SELF-ASSURED ABOUT PUBLIC SMOKING THAN EVER BEFORE AND BY HAVING STRICTER REGULATORY LAWS. THEY HAVE A TIGHTER DEFINITION OF WHAT CONSTITUTES THEIR TERRITORY. AS A RESULT, REGULATION HELPS SMOKERS OVERCOME MANY OF THE SOCIAL CONFRONTATIONS THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED IN RECENT YEARS.

Despite the above discovery, the report reinforces continued opposition to such regulations:

"THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE ENDORSE SMOKING REGULATION. IN FACT, WE ARE STRONGLY OPPOSED TO SUCH REGULATION.

One must question the appropriateness of the slogan that for so long has graced R.J. Reynolds' letterhead: "We work for smokers.". According to this survey, by actively opposing smoking restrictions (particularly in restaurants) R.J. Reynolds has really been working against smokers, and not for them.

Fields

Notes

This document is from the Bliley set of documents, a set of approximately 39,000 documents subpoenaed in Minnesota's case against the industry. The tobacco companies claimed these documents were protected by attorney-client privilege. U.S. Supreme Court ruled however that they were not protected by attorney-client privilege and ordered them revealed.

Quotes

LET'S BEGIN WITH A DISCUSSION OF SMOKERS VERSUS NONSMOKERS. DEMOGRAPHICALLY, SMOKERS ARE MORE LIKELY THAN NON-SMOKERS TO HAVE EXPERIENCED CHANGE IN THEIR LIVES. THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE SEPARATED OR DIVORCED, TO HAVE BOUGHT A HOUSE, HAD A CHILD, OR GOTTEN MARRIED IN THE PAST TWO YEARS. THEY ARE ALSO MORE OFTEN OLDER AND MORE DOWNSCALE IN OCCUPATION AND INCOME. CONVERSELY, SMOKERS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE EMPLOYED IN PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS, HAVE COLLEGE EDUCATIONS OR A HIGH INCOME...

WITH REGARD TO THE POLITICAL ORIENTATION OF SMOKERS, SMOKERS ARE MUCH LESS LIKELY THAN NONSMOKERS TO BE A REGISTED VOTER. IN THE STUDY WE FOUND THAT 29% OF SMOKERS SAID THEY WERE NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE COMPARED TO 18% OF NONSMOKERS. CONSISTENT WITH THEIR LOWER VOTER REGISTRATION THEY ALSO FEEL LESS INCLINED TO BECOME INVOLVED IN POLITICAL ISSUES...

[From Page 11] NEXT, LET'S TURN TO A DISCUSSION OF PASSIVE SMOKE. IT IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN NATURE BUT CERTAINLY POSES A VERY SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM FOR OUR INDUSTRY...

TWO PRIMARY POINTS NEED TO BE MADE ABOUT PASSIVE SMOKE. FIRST OF ALL, PASSIVE SMOKE IS BELIEVED BY THE MAJORITY OF ADULTS TO BE HAZARDOUS TO NONSMOKERS. SECONDLY, THIS BELIEF IS CONTINUING TO GROW...

[From page 13]...THE IMPORTANT POINT TO BE MADE HERE IS THAT THE STRONGEST ARGUMENT FOR RESTRICTING SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES IS HEALTH...

[From Page 15-16] NEXT, LET'S TURN TO THE THIRD TOPIC AREA OF TODAY'S PRESENTATION--SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY. IT'S HARD TO OVERSTATE THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY. TO UNDERSTAND JUST HOW IMPORTANT SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY IS TO SMOKING ITSELF, I NEED TO REFER BACK TO THE 1981 SEGMENTATION STUDY. IN THAT STUDY, WE IDENTIFIED SOCIAL INTERACTION AS ONE OF AND PROBABLY THE PRIMARY BENEFIT PEOPLE RECEIVE FROM SMOKING. CIGARETTES ARE USED BY PEOPLE TO MAKE THEMSELVES FEEL COMFORTABLE AROUND OTHERS. THEY ARE USED IN THOSE SITUATIONS WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE FRIENDS, AND AS A MEANS OF FEELING MORE MATURE AND ATTRACTIVE TO OTHERS. AS SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY DECLINES, IT THREATENS THE PRIMARY BENEFIT OF SMOKING. THIS THREAT TO SOCIAL INTERACTION IS A VERY REAL ONE, SINCE SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY IS IN FACT DECLINING. TODAY MORE THAN EVER BEFORE SMOKERS ARE FEELING SELF-CONSCIOUS ABOUT PUBLIC SMOKING...

[Page 17] WE FOUND IN TOTAL THAT PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT MOST PEOPLE OBJECT TO OTHERS SMOKING AROUND THEM. THIS IS TRUE AMONG BOTH SMOKERS AND NON-SMOKERS. ALSO A MAJORITY OF PEOPLE, BOTH SMOKERS AND NON-SMOKERS AGREED THAT YOU ARE MORE ACCEPTABLE IN TODAY'S SOCIETY IF YOU DON'T SMOKE. FINALLY, AND QUITE SURPRISINGLY, A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE AGREED THAT PEOPLE SMOKING AROUND THEM MAKES THEM FEEL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. FIFTY PERCENT OF NONSMOKERS FEEL THIS WAY AND EVEN 8% OF SMOKERS AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT.

[Page 18] WE DISCOVERED THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT CIGARETTE SMOKE MAKES THEIR CLOTHES AND HAIR SMELL. THEY ALSO AGREED THAT IN CONFINED PLACES CIGARETTES OFTEN MAKE THEIR EYES WATER. THEY AGREED THAT CIGARETTE SMOKE DOES NOT SMELL GOOD TO THEM AND THAT SMOKING OFTEN CAUSES EXTRA HOUSE CLEANING...

WE FOUND THAT 60% OF ALL WORKERS HAVE SOME SORT OF SMOKING RESTRICTIONS AT THEIR PLACE OF WORK AND A FULL 22% OF SMOKERS DON'T SMOKE AT ALL AT WORK. THE EFFECT ON INDUSTRY VOLUME AS A RESULT OF THESE RESTRICTIONS IS OBVIOUS.

...THE FIRST CONCLUSION THAT RESULTED FROM THE RESEARCH WE CONDUCTED IS THAT A MAJORITY OF ALL ADULTS WANT SMOKING RESTRICTIONS IN PUBLIC PLACES.

WE ASKED PEOPLE IF THEY WOULD VOTE FOR LEGISLATION THAT WOULD RESTRICT PUBLIC SMOKING. OF ALL ADULTS, 66% AGREED THEY WOULD VOTE FOR SUCH LEGISLATION. EVEN 44% OF NONSMOKERS AGREED WITH THIS STATEMENT.

WHAT WAS EVEN MORE SURPRISING FOR US TO FIND OUT WAS THAT SMOKERS WHO CURRENT[LY] LIVE IN REGULATED AREAS WANT RESTRICTIONS MORE THAN DO SMOKERS WHO LIVE IN NON-REGULATED AREAS.

AS AN EXAMPLE, WE ASKED SMOKERS IF THEY FELT SMOKING RESTRICTION SHOULD EXIST IN RESTAURANTS. OF SMOKERS LIVING IN REGULATED AREAS, 79% AGREED WITH THIS STATEMENT VERSUS ONLY 36% 0F SMOKERS LIVING IN NON-REGULATED AREAS. IT IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS SENTIMENT EXISTS. SMOKERS FEEL LESS SELF-ASSURED ABOUT PUBLIC SMOKING THAN EVER BEFORE AND BY HAVING STRICTER REGULATORY LAWS, THEY HAVE A TIGHTER DEFINITION OF WHAT CONSTITUTES THEIR TERRITORY. AS A RESULT, REGULATION HELPS SMOKERS OVERCOME MANY OF THE SOCIAL CONFRONTATIONS THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED IN RECENT YEARS. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE ENDORSE SMOKING REGULATION. IN FACT, WE ARE STRONGLY OPPOSED TO SUCH REGULATION.

Company

R.J. Reynolds

Author

Fackelman, Ernest J. (RJR Business Information Analysis VP '94)

Vice President of Business Information and Analysis R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the year 1994.

Recipient

Witt, Samuel B., III (CTR and RJR Director & Gen. Counsel)

Held various executive positions for RJR and Council for Tobacco Research

Region

United States

Type

Report

Subject

Social Acceptability (Social acceptability of smoking)

The industry fought the decline in social acceptability of smoking through public relations campaigns, legislation, etc.

social behavior

social influence

secondhand smoke

demographics