A new study, to be published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that non-smokers are unlikely to object to people smoking even though they were concerned about the effects of secondhand smoke.  

 

A telephone survey of almost 5000 people in Victoria, Australia found that just 5.5% of people would ask someone to stop smoking if they started smoking near them.  The rest said they would either move away (75%) or do nothing (16%).

 

When asked what they would do if, in a public place, someone next to them asked if they minded whether they smoked, 48.8% of non-smokers reported they would say they would prefer it if they didn't smoke, while 28% said they would tell the person ‘yes, they didn’t mind’, they actually did mind and would prefer it that the person didn’t smoke.

 

Source: Sydney Morning Herald 26 May 2007
Link to article: http://tinyurl.com/393oj8  

Link to Journal of Preventive Medicine: http://tinyurl.com/2to88r