Survey: Smoke-free Law Support Increases

Households were selected using random-digit dialing, and Fayette County residents 18 years of age or older were invited to participate. For the post-ordinance survey, the response rate was 52 percent, and the margin of error was approximately + 3.02 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 6, 2005) -- Support for a law prohibiting smoking in most public places has increased in recent months, according to a new survey of Lexington residents.

Nearly two-thirds of Lexingtonians – 64 percent – support the smoke-free ordinance, according to a survey of 1,055 people conducted by the University of Kentucky Survey Research Center in conjunction with the UK College of Nursing. That is a significant increase from nearly 57 percent supporting the proposed ordinance in a similar survey conducted by UK last year.

The post-ordinance survey was conducted from Oct. 4, 2004, to Nov. 22, 2004. The previous survey was conducted in July and August 2003, before the new law was originally due to be enacted.

“As in other communities that have gone smoke-free, Lexingtonians value smoke-free air. This community is supportive of this important public health measure,” said Ellen Hahn, associate professor in the UK College of Nursing.

Hahn is the principal investigator in a research study that was designed to evaluate changes in attitudes toward the smoke-free law, adults’ social practices, protection from secondhand smoke (SHS) at work, and the effect of the law on health.

Other highlights of the recent survey include:

Almost three-fourths (74.2 percent) of adults in Fayette County think it is very or somewhat important that all public buildings, including restaurants and bars, are smoke-free (compared to 69.6 percent, pre-ordinance).
More than three-fourths of adults (76.2 percent) are very or somewhat concerned about the health effects of secondhand smoke. Concern has increased significantly since the law took effect (71.7 percent, pre-ordinance).
Seven in 10 adults (72.0 percent) go to a restaurant in Lexington at least weekly. This is a slight decrease from the pre-law period (75.8 percent).
Three in 10 adults (31.7 percent) go to a bar or nightclub in Lexington at least monthly. This is similar to the percent of adults who reported they went to bars or nightclubs at least once a month pre-ordinance (27.5 percent).
While a higher percentage of adults are protected from SHS at work compared to before the law took effect (71.5 percent), 20 percent of adults who work indoors and outside the home in Lexington are still exposed to secondhand smoke at work. In 1999, it was estimated that 56 percent of Kentuckians and 70 percent of all Americans who worked indoors were protected by a smoke-free policy.

“These findings demonstrate that the people of Fayette County are breathing easier since our smoke-free law became a reality,” said Dr. David Mannino, pulmonologist and an international expert on the health effects of secondhand smoke at the UK College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine. “It’s important that public support for the smoke-free law is increasing because this ordinance is having – and will continue to have – a positive impact on the health of this community.”

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