Attitudes to UK smoking policies

Today sees the publication of a new Forest report.

Enough Is Enough: Attitudes to UK Smoking Policies is based on a series of polls conducted by Populus on behalf of Forest over the last 15 months.

The Department of Health is currently working on a new tobacco control strategy and we've been testing public opinion to see what the public thinks of existing policies and further measures including further restrictions on smoking.

As you can imagine ASH and other tobacco control groups are lobbying government like mad and on Thursday, prompted by Labour MP Alex Cunningham, MPs will take part in a Westminster Hall debate on tobacco control strategy that is designed to put pressure on Theresa May's government to get on with it.

The timing of Forest's report is therefore rather fortuitous. Here are some of the headline results:

• A clear majority of the public believe that measures to tackle smoking have gone too far or gone far enough.

• The public overwhelmingly believe the government has more pressing priorities than tackling smoking – investing in new doctors and nurses, for example.

• There is no appetite for additional tax rises on tobacco products – a huge majority believe that tobacco duty is already about right, too high or far too high.

• A significant majority of the public believe that purchasing illegal tobacco is an understandable response from consumers faced with the high cost of tobacco products.

• Measures to restrict smoking in outdoor public places such as parks and beaches have no popular or scientific legitimacy and would be hard to police.

• Following a dramatic fall in the number of people using NHS stop smoking services a significant majority of the public believe there should be a review of how these services are funded.

• A majority of the public believe the government’s tobacco control policies should be independently reviewed and should not be driven by taxpayer-funded lobby groups.

• Almost a decade since smoking was banned in pubs and clubs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and ten years since smoking was prohibited in Scotland’s pubs and bars, a majority of the public believe that pubs and private members’ clubs, including working men’s clubs, should be allowed to provide a well-ventilated designated smoking room to accommodate smokers.

You can read our press release here but our message to government can be found in these quotes:

“Anti-tobacco campaigners are lobbying the government to introduce new measures they believe are essential to tackling smoking. It is clear however that there is relatively little public support for further anti-smoking policies.

“What is equally clear is the public’s desire for a common sense approach to policy making in the area of tobacco control. Regulation should not be made at the behest of taxpayer-funded lobby groups but on the basis of credible, independent evidence.

“Regulations should be based on fairness not dogma. Punishing rather than educating the consumer is not acceptable. Nor should legislation be introduced without proper consideration of the inevitable unintended consequences.”

“Theresa May says she wants to make Britain a country that works for everyone. She also says the Conservatives will use government to ‘restore fairness’ in Britain. In the coming months, as the government’s new smoking strategy is finalised, ministers should reflect on what that truly means.

“A significant number of adults smoke, and enjoy smoking, and their contribution to society is substantial. Further discrimination against smokers would be the clearest sign that this new one nation Conservative government is not as inclusive as it purports to be.”

To download a copy of the report click here.