Section Navigation:

Public opinion

A YouGov public opinion survey carried out in February 2008 on behalf of ASH Scotland demonstrated clear public support for a number of policies designed to reduce the availability and attractiveness of tobacco products to young people:

92% of all respondents agreed that retailers should be required to pay a fixed penalty notice if found to have sold or supplied tobacco to under-18s
89% of all respondents supported the requirement for businesses to hold a valid licence to sell tobacco that could be removed if they are caught selling to under-age smokers
89% of all respondents supported the idea that businesses found to have sold or supplied tobacco to under-18s more than once should have the right to sell tobacco suspended
69% of respondents agreed that local authorities should be required to maintain a register of all retail outlets selling tobacco
66% of all respondents supported the use of graphic health warnings on tobacco products
60% of all respondents supported the removal of all displays of tobacco products in the places where they are sold.

In addition:

81% of Scots say they support the smoking ban
84% agree that pubs, bars and restaurants are a more pleasant place to be since they went smokefree
28% of people say they visit pubs and bars more often now than they did before the ban.

All polling figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,100 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20th - 22nd February 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Scottish adults (aged 18+).

An MRUK omnibus survey on attitudes to smoking in public places in Scotland and levels of support for the smoke-free legislation was conducted in May, August, and November 2005 and January, March and May 2006 to track public opinion on the smoking ban before and after implementation. 1,040 interviews were undertaken in the March and May surveys, evenly split across genders with a spread of ages and socio-economic groups:

61% of respondents said that they supported the law, with support increasing steadily from 56% in May 2005
73% of respondents thought the law had been ‘very successful’ or ‘successful’. 83% of non-smokers, 82% of ex-smokers and 60% of smokers thought the law was ‘very successful’ or ‘successful’
35% of smokers felt the new law had helped them to reduce the amount they smoked.

Source: Clearing the air Scotland [online] www.clearingtheairscotland.com/research/opinion-survey.html [accessed 20 May 2008]