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A STUDY OF PU'BI-11C ATTlTUDES TOWARD CIGARETTE SMOKING AND THE TOBACCO, INDUSTRY IN 1978 VOLUME I MAY 1978 c Ni 0 N X fv% ?*~IwS -RE Cfl'7 8U406 QR ti A a_1

C VOLIIlC I Psapsr.d, for WE 'lOBA'CC0 IZ:STZ'TtJTL lsay 1978, T.k RCPMt G'R'G`,KITA:'i0N Iz_. a-z

IM r'tODUC';'_O't2 This is the aixth bi'ennial nationa2 opir.ion su-vey we have condti:eted for The Tobacco Institute. Like all its predecessors it deals with public atti- tndies towards tl'u smokirag and health~ issue and attitudes towards both the to2iacco industry and government regulation of'it. Ia the more recent surveys in the series, a secoad focus of'the studies has beem oA the passive smokinq/non-=oke='s rights issues lhis survey updates all sajjor, tren& areas &,nd: breaks significant newgroun3 in the passive smok!ingi/r.on-smoker•s rights area. A complete description of the survey, aethodology, sample size, i.nter- vie+.*ing, dates, etc., as well as copies of the questionnaires used, may be found in the •Metho3ology~' section following: this~ •Itisalysis' section.

-1 . XMZI'G7':= OF' THE STVD'Y 7lpprosimate3'y forty percent of'this six:h study of public attitudes tarrard cigarette saoking consists of' new questions rhich have never before been asked for The Tobacoo Institute. !or this reason alone, a+any of the research ., `L hkB II. I".' I?'s'' findings coataiaed in tMSs report are of special interest. The study also coco-- taias a systesstic revi'aw of trend data for questions which have beem asked in the past. Zak'em together, the large body of new matarial and' the eomprehesssive view of changing attitudes over the last ten years highlight results that we con- sider to be of extraordinary iarportance, to t2ne industry. D)ot all of these findings are encouraging. In fact, the ma jor high- lights of this report divide thesaselves into results vhich are sometiaes proris- , img but nostly foreboding as regards the very future of' the tobacco industry. C!b put it another way there are a certain nirmber of •si!Z'ves liaing,s" to thee uany •elouds.") For this reason, we have decided to present the highlights of this report in the form of a balance sheet, measuring the optimistic and pessi- aistic entr'ies., as it were, oa opposite sides o1 the ledger. These balaoce sheet 'eatries' are presented vithout do,-%=entatioa in the interest of conciseness. ZSty are, mowever, •audited"' in the "Detaile3 analysis• that follows. •7L55gZ5" l. the overall saSiency of' the 'eigaretts issue' is low. Coaspared tm crime, drugs, pollution, and a half a dozen otfies itams, smoking is at the bottom of the list of personal ooncerns. 2. There is little aentis+ent for a total b+an on cig,rrette smokimg in public places (but see 13 under •S.iabilities") .. 3. There is overwhelsi'ng approval of placing aotices outside places that restrict cigarette mokitvc. 1. lsore t2sa:e nine out o:f eve-ry t=Americuas bel i eve that smo);iag is hazardous to a saoker's baalth. 2.. A majprity of Jkmeri'cans be:ieves that'it is probabl'y hazardous to be arvszrsd' Qeopl'e .r3'~o smoke evr.z 3 N ~ ~ if they' are not smoking ther.selves. krA 3. Zhere is aajority sent~.ment for separate smoking sect:ons in al: public places we askd3 about. 0 9 A-4

4 •'7LS5M;• (conti'nued'). 4. Tev people favor job discrimination based on cigarette svckis„q. S. The percentage of'smckerx in the 17 to 24' year oIIid age group is up, and tse amouaat smoked per day per young saoker is also up ftt see f5 ander 'Liabilitiese) . 6. Tbere is broad support for FZ+C regu- lation, of 'public service' adver- tising saon.sored by noc-profi't groups like the Cancer Society an6 Ral'ph Rader. 7. Yhe_•e is less than majority senti- ment in favor of'a gradaated tar cigarette tax. S •LIAB II.IT:'€S" (eont f na ed) 4. There is majority acceptance ' of the idea that the cigarette varning label' should be made stronger an3 more sseti`ic. t. S. The percentage of people vho smoke cigarettes is at the lov- .st level, measzared in the pas t. tan years. 6. A steadily incseasing' majority of Americans believes~ t2ut whe tabacco indust_y knows that the case against eigarettes is true. 7. Favorable attitudes trward the tobacco industry are at their lowest ebb. 8:4 There is widespread support for anti-mokirg education in the schools-and at the very early pears. 9. Tvo-t:fiizds of smokers r.cucd like, to give up smokin5. 10. Nearly half the public thiir_ks that smoking is an addic_on.. 12', ricre people say they would vote for than against a political- caar didate who takes a position, favoring a ban on s*okir.g in pub~- lic places. N

s • 23i°3~.TGK2'I'O2+S 0~~.' T: ,i'i PIND3NG5 ) Shs original Surgeon Geneaal's report, followed by the f'i.r'st. `h,azard' varn- 1 iaq oa cigarette packages, the, v4bsequent 'dasoger• varning on packages, the removal of cigarette advartisirsg from televisioa a;nd the isaclusioa of the danger va_-ning i,a • tiga'rette, advertising were all 'blows• of sorts for the tobacco' industry. They . C were, bowevar, blovs that the cigarette industry c+ould successfully weather because (' they were all directed against the amokes hisiself. whi!le the overvhelrninq ssajority of the public' has been convinced by the anti-smraking forces that smoking is darqerous to tbe sacker's health, this has aot persuadied'very saoy smokers to give up smokittg. C1 Mie anti-smokimg forces' litest' tack, bo+rever--o'n the passive smo0cing issue+--is another ma'tter. What the smoker does to b.d:mself may be his business, but vhat the smoker does to the aon-smoker is quitea different matter. The anti-smokinq C formes~ b3ve~~ aot Yet~ convinced anything l'ikeas'~ sany people that~ smo'3tinq~ haxmsthe Dailth of the non-moker as they have coervinced people that smokinqi harms the health of the smoker. Hut this study shows that they ase well on the vagy to making the same sale about the effects o?' smoking' on the aoa-smoke, as they have already madee vrith rsspect to the effects' on the smoker. pearly six out of tyer. believe t.`sat saok- lbQ is ha.xardous to the nonTsa+oker's healthy up s}narply over the last four years. Ibre than two-thirds of non-smokers belie4e it, nearly hal,' of' all sackers believe it. Shis we see as the most dangerous dev+elopmesst to the viability of the tobacco industry that has yet occsrred. 1h:ile there is little sentiment for an out- riot ban on smokinq in public gatherisog places, there is already majority sentiment for providing separate facilities for smokers and noee-smokers. As the amti-smok:.nq forces succeed in their efforts to convince non-smokess that their bea/t.5 is at N . 0. ~ •take too, the pressure for segregated facilities will change from a ripple to a t;:de~1 as we see it. Zt is, of cou.rse, possible t3iat' once smokers and rmon-smokexs alike ex- perience all' the inconveniences of separate facilities, people will recca+e fed up A-6

• iriL's the rastsiction:s ars they did with the Vdlstead Act, Scokers vho want to dli'ne, }iorlc or, travel aith~ ncA-su+okers say beea.e fed up with havisr7 to fcreqo s=king. Sba-mckazs vmo wa,nt to dine, vArk or travel with smokers say bec=e fad up with haviacg; to eadure "t2se exta smobca that exists in segregated smokiaq _acilities. Eoth oould' say `!o bell with it a11' and go bac'!c to a smokinq aaiyvt3ere sent3.-aerst. aut if L-Ae aati-se~ekiaq forces are successful in conpiaciar r,oin-smokers that their health is in danger, it's at least as Iikely that the seatit:eat for seSreq,ated' facilities viill be strerxqtbened. arsd if segregated facilities do not aca:asplists the aati-saekirsq forces' desire of a,akinq ser,regated smok:r+q so untessable that smokers rrill qive it up, the next step eov ld' be as out icpht ban. Zf' mn- seokers are by then canwinced that it's tlseir health that is at stake, the present seatimeat for separate facilities emald' beczrme support for a total ban. , The strateqic and' loaq' run antidote to the ;wwsive 'smoki,aq issue is, as ( we see it, dev+elopinq and widely pssblicisi:oq clear-cut, credible, medical erideace ` that passive smoki--q is mt harmtul to the aon-smo6cr.r•s health. tlh.tle that should be the fondamental objective of the tcbacco irsdtast-y in o%tz opiaion, this study suggests that there are soae short teszs tactical approaches that say slow the effor-tw of' the aati-smokizq forces and bay the iadustcy the necessary tiae to dievelop What we sec as the fundamental esidernce needed to reverse& tbe trend. &tt they are tactical and short terza in character. A=a3 these short raiaqe ta;ti'cs are tbe folloWrinq : l. Where outriqht be= an smckimq are proposed and appear li]SsLy, of' passage, the i'mdustry a:ould' propose separate facilities (as the lesser of taro evils) . 2. Wbere I+iltv Jers.y-type leq:slat'•on appears to be a real possibility, the imau:s'try a.iqht gxomcse t.'zat ope:ators of restas:rar.ts, cabs and ot2her public 'iAstitutiosss' be persitted to establish whatever smokinq policy they desire--'Smokirog perait:eG anyti+here,• •:tie saolcrag. A-7

/ON . par•aittsd,' •5sparate facilities fpr smckers,• or •Sepasate faciSities for soon-smakers•--buit with the requirement that the smoking coryditions that apply be posted outsidia the preim:ises for tfie eonve2sience and pro- l..ctioa of' mokezs "' aoa-smokazs ali'ke. 3. Za vilev of the vidkspread public belief that pabli'c sez- •ics advertIsing by non-profit organizations s3=eld be subject to the same 7'i+C scrutiny as ocmmnercial advertising, we think it sight be d+esirable to ac+isil'y file an action vrit.b tbe M the next time public sezvice adVertsising sisquotes the facts about smokir,g, and' health, and to further demar,d that tbe !'iC ' require the offesodizsg, or+lanization to run •corrective• advertisiagias Listerine has been required' to do. •, lifbile the peblic widely supports goveznent proywaras to discouraqe cigarette smokisY?,, a sajority opposes spending tax dollars for such a program--vliieh, suggests such pscqrams sight be vsalnerable if people Mese made avaxe ot' theiz rnsts. 0 O C C' S,. Ssvesal questians in this study suggest that vhe,: e there is substantial support for gowerna+erst action against cigarette smok.inc,, there is a disce..~^nibl'e decline of such support when people are made aware of the othrs govrsnment iatrusions that aight follow. '%Mere vrill it all amd?• a,bght be effective in blunting assti-smo Xiaq regulation. f. Anot2irs short rstge tactic is suggested by the questi.on oeocexaiag •fmsaphcbes,•' The fiadings suggest that there is the possi- bSl'ity of dividing those who are relatively unexcitad about the passive ~. 0 smoking issue from the anti-sacking sealots, by poatrayi:nq, these zealots ~ as pecpl'e with an unreasonable fear of cigar ette smcycirg. ~ s s s . . ~ ~ But we would repeat t`sat since the anti-smoks ~*.g, forces have now gone 7 a losr., N way in oonv:.ncirAg, the mon-saoDce.r that his health, too, is at staDce, the muarbzs one A-8

n. 8 ob j'.ctivi in otlz opinion ia tu develop aut~ositativ+e ;nd credible eviGlence with - s.spect to the effecu of passive smc4cinq on the nor.-smcker "s heal th. The issue, •s' re sse it, is t#o lznqer' vhat the smoksz does to hi!mstlf, but vhat he dbes ta~ others. I

9 DLTIKIIED 3l2AZYS I'S non*Smokers' Ri4hts '!~e onerwhelming aajority of Anesicans todaybelieves that samking is dwoqerous to their bealth. This sixth in & series of studies of public attitudes tmrrard cigarette asr+okimq oncx again underseores that geaeral conviction, and its 8ocumentation nas been relegated to a later, a3nor position in this report because it oontaims little that is new.. Yhat i~s aewr today is the growiryq oontrov+ezsy ov,er +rhethe=, smokinq is dangerous to aon-smokers' bealt2i. Xnd if it is darogerous, then to what extent is it & personal responsibility to avoid the danger rather than a government responsi- bility to pro2si.bit tbe danger? And if it is serely annoyismg, tlnen to what estent sAould the sajority satisfy its oomfort at the expense of the mimarity? fieanwhile, the vbole eontrvversy takes: p1'act within an atmosphere of in- csasing offic3,al' sanctions and social presssires: against sn+okimg, and this study rill investigate these pherycmera as well. lbst 3mesicaass are «omviaced that it is probably hazardous to their, heal'*.2ih to be around, people vho are smokinr,, even if they are not theaselves =okiloc,. This view has risen by six percentage points since 1976, ttwelve sinor 2964. And the opposite belief' that smoking promably doesn't have amy real, eff ct on the bealth of aon--jmokess is driwn fifteen percentage points since 1974, to a low of 33%. Ys believe it would be diLtficult to ovrsemphasize the importanc+e of this finding, indicatinq, as it does that tMe battle to convince the public of the dangers of passive smoleimg' is in tbe process of' being lost,, it indeed it is not already over. Is smokimg ha2ardous to non- smokess' bealth?' (Q.211) 1978 1!9'716' 1974 s s a C, C c> Probably is hazardious S8 52 46 ?robably, doesn't have any real effect 33'. 40 48 ~ ~ L1oa't krx)+r/nc sasver 9 8 6: ~. ~ a-im