English looking forward to not being exposed to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke

May 30 2007

Over two thirds of people say going out will be more enjoyable when England goes smokefree in July, according to a Cancer Research UK survey.

Nearly 90 per cent of people questioned said that they will enjoy eating a meal without having to inhale second-hand smoke and 82 per cent were looking forward to their hair and clothes not smelling after a night out. Nearly the same amount (83 per cent) think they'll be healthier because they won't be breathing in other people's smoke.

The survey also found that over a third (36 per cent) of young people (aged 16-34) say they will socialise more regularly after the introduction of the ban on 1st July 2007.

Overall, a quarter of people of all ages (27 per cent) said that they would go out more often, meaning that England's restaurants and pubs are likely to be even more popular when the country goes smokefree.

Jean King, Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco control, said: "Following the smooth introduction of smoking bans in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, it's clear to see that people in England are counting down the days until the law comes in here too. Our figures suggest that people are particularly looking forward to not being exposed to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

"With so many people expecting to enjoy going out more, and planning to go out more often, these reassuring results indicate that businesses will also benefit from this move towards a healthier England."

The poll also found that nearly half (49 per cent) of people believed that there would be no arguments about where people could and couldn't smoke.

For media enquiries contact the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 7061 8315, or the out of hours duty press officer on 07050 264059.

BMRB telephone omnibus survey, sample size (868 English adults 16+), dates of fieldwork 11th - 13th May 2007.

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