Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) backs calls from local
government and parliamentarians to prohibit smoking immediately
outside pubs and cafes during the pandemic.
ASH, working with YouGov COVID-Tracker [1], has found
strong public support for measures to restrict smoking outside in
light of the COVID-19 crisis.
When asked if they supported or opposed
“greater limits on where people can smoke
outside during the COVID-19 crisis (e.g. supermarket queues, pub
beer gardens when open)”. A majority (59%) said
they would support greater limits (17% opposed).
Although smokers were least likely to support limits
only 34% actually opposed them (34% support and 28% neither
support nor oppose).
The COVID-Tracker has also found more willingness among
smokers to change their smoking habits to protect others during
the COVID crisis. Among the 430 smokers surveyed 25% said that
the crisis had increased the likelihood that they would avoid
smoking outside in places where it inconvenienced others (7% said
it had decreased the likelihood and 67% said
the crisis has made no difference). [2]
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and
Health (ASH) said:
”Local Government is right to support this amendment,
which will be easy for pubs and cafés to comply with, simple to
enforce and popular with the public, most of whom don’t smoke and
don’t like being exposed to tobacco smoke when they’re eating and
drinking. It will also help smokers who’ve quit during lockdown
to stay quit once they’re out and about socialising
again.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Action on Smoking and Health is a health charity working to
eliminate the harm caused by tobacco use. For more information
see: www.ash.org.uk/about-ash.
ASH receives funding for its programme of work from Cancer
Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.
References
[1] The survey was conducted between
22nd June and 6th July 2020. It was an
online survey using the YouGov panel with 2010 respondents. For
more information on the YouGov Covid Tracker see:
https://yougov.co.uk/covid-19.
[2] This question was asked of 430 smokers between
22nd June and 13th July 2020.
