Less Russians notice tobacco advertising. Most of them oppose smoking in public places.
MOSCOW, December 18, 2013. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data concerning the following issues: how many, how often and where Russians encounter tobacco advertising; what packs are legal and what packs are more popular among Russians; what Russians` attitudes towards smoking are.
Currently more than one half of respondents (54%) do not smoke and have never done that. Among those who smoke 12% consume several cigarettes almost every day; 3% - several cigarettes per week or month. One-fifth of respondents (19%) consume a pack per day (to compare: the share of such respondents in the beginning of the year was 24%). The share of persons who quitted smoking and have not smoked for several months is12%.
Almost two-thirds of smokers (60%) purchase legal packs of cigarettes with a notice “Smoking kills” on one side, a smoking effects picture on the other side and an excise stamp. At the same time, almost half of respondents (51%) are aware that this is exactly the format which is legal in Russia; the share of persons who knows about that is much higher among smokers (71%) than among non-smokers (40%). A part of respondents bought packs of illegal cigarettes. According to 10% of respondents, the packs that they buy do not have a smoking effects picture; the same share of respondents believes that these packs do not have an excise stamp. Eleven percent of respondents pay no attention to what is pictured on the pack; 35% are hard to describe the legal pack.
More than two-thirds of respondents (71%) have recently not noticed any advertising materials produced by tobacco companies; even among smokers the share of such respondents is huge (62%). Few people noticed smoking advertising in small shops close to their houses (8%), in stalls (7%), big supermarkets (6%), despite the fact that smoking advertising is currently prohibited in Russia.
Most of Russians (45%) recognize the fact that there is less tobacco advertising in public transport, markets and cinemas. One-fifth of respondents did not mention any changes (22%); and only 3% witness more smoking advertisements. Thirty percent of respondents did not pay attention to the number of tobacco advertisements.
Two-thirds of Russians (68%) accept that the persons employed in a service sector have their right to work in a smoke-free environment; at the same time, the share of persons who support this idea is bigger among the non-smoking respondents (76%), rather than among those who like smoking (53%). Less Russians (21%) believe that clients of bars, hotels or restaurants have their right to rest and should not abandon smoking.
The VCIOM opinion poll was conducted on December 7-8, 2013. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 130 communities in 42 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.4%.
Do you smoke? If yes, how often? (closed-ended question, one answer) | ||||
October 2009 | May 2011 | February 2013 | December 2013 | |
One pack of cigarettes per day or more | 21 | 22 | 24 | 19 |
Several cigarettes almost every day | 16 | 10 | 14 | 12 |
Sometimes several cigarettes in a week or a month | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
I quitted smoking; I have not smoked for several months | 8 | 12 | 10 | 12 |
I never smoked | 51 | 53 | 48 | 54 |
Hard to tell | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Did you personally encounter tobacco advertising (posters, money change trays, ashtrays with tobacco logos) over the recent two or three weeks? If yes, where exactly? (closed-ended question, any number of answers) | |||
Total respondents | Smokers | Non-smokers | |
Big supermarkets | 6 | 9 | 4 |
Small shops close to me | 8 | 12 | 6 |
Stalls | 7 | 11 | 4 |
Cinemas | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trade centers | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Pulic transport (metro, buses, et cet) | 2 | 3 | 1 |
No, I did not | 71 | 62 | 75 |
Other places | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Hard to tell/ I do not remember/ I do not pay attention | 9 | 6 | 11 |
Some people believe that service workers have their right to work in a tobacco-free environment, thus, the clients should not smoke indoors. Others believe that the client`s right to rest and leisure is above all, and the client should not abandon smoking in restaurants, bars, hotels. What statement do you agree with? (closed-ended question, one answer) | |||
Total respondents | Smokers | Non-smokers | |
The first one; workers have their right to work in a tobacco-free environment | 68 | 53 | 76 |
The second one; the clients have their right to rest and to smoke in public places | 21 | 34 | 13 |
Other | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Hard to tell | 9 | 10 | 9 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!