Posted on 10/03/2006 10:07:28 AM PDT by southernnorthcarolina
ELON, N.C. - Almost 65 percent of North Carolina residents would support a statewide ban on smoking in public places, and more than half prefer restaurants that don't allow smoking, according to a survey released Tuesday by Elon University.
The survey also found that 65 percent of residents support allowing city and town governments to pass local smoking bans, which is barred under state law.
"It appears that the historical ties to tobacco in this state are now essentially severed as anti-smoking sentiments prevail among North Carolinians," said Hunter Bacot, who directed the poll.
The survey of 649 people was conducted Sept. 24-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.
The poll found that 69 percent of respondents request nonsmoking sections in restaurants while only 7 percent preferred the smoking section. Almost 60 percent said they prefer to visit entertainment venues that don't allow smoking.
Public places were defined during the survey as public buildings, restaurants, offices and bars.
However, when asked specifically about requiring all bars and restaurants to ban smoking, more respondents expressed opposition.
While 31 percent said they would oppose a smoking ban for public places, 42 percent of respondents said they disagreed that all restaurants and bars should ban smoking.
"The only resistance to a statewide ban appears when respondents are presented with the prospect of such a smoking ban being imposed unilaterally on all restaurants and bars," Bacot said.
People just hate having their clothes smell like stale cigarette smoke when they get home.
The Reynolds family put a lot of money in Duke, UNC, Wake Forest and N.C. State as did the Phillip Morris Co., the American Tobacco Co., and others.
I don't believe this "poll" for a second. It's propaganda fabricated by the health-nazis to help justify their fascist crap.
Honestly, let the owners of 'public places' (Bars, restaurants, etc) decide on a case by case basis. If they want to allow or prohibit smoking in their establishmet and hurt or help their business, leave it up to them. I smoke, but not at restaurants, rarely in bars and never in mine or someone elses home. I know that some don't like smoke, so I don't do it where I may offend, but this crap about banning it in all indoor (and some outdoor business, like theme parks) is getting seriously stupid. If kids aren't allowed at a bar, who are the nannies protecting?
Tough sh!t. It's not their restaurant. If they don't like it, there are plenty of restaurants and even a few bars that have gone smoke-free of their own volition. If "most people" prefer non-smoking, the market will respond like it always does, and there will be more smoke-free places available.
while i am a non-smoker as well (and a former North Carolinian..), I do NOT support such a ban-these type of public "place bans" reeeeeeak of Big-Government Statism: Firstly it violates one's "right to property" (ie the bar-resturant owner's rights), 2ndly these type of bans were instituted by liberal-anti-smoking campaigns (led by lawers not really concerned about the public health of the American people, but of making themselves a butt-load (not puns intended) of money off the Big Tobacco Companies)-Wasn't John Edwards a Lawiar?, 3rdly These "bans" run contrary to competition and the "Free-Market", if someone doesn[t like smoking in a resturant/bar: DON'T GO TO IT!! It's that plain and simple, Go to a new place that doesn't allow smoking instead!! 4th, and Lastly-> It is anti-freedom/libertarian to restrict what someone can do on their own property that doesn't violate someone'e explice and implicit civil rights!
Us, of course!!! We, the ignorant slack-jawed churls who are too unenlightened to look after ourselves.
It's amazing to me that no capitalist ever discovered this way of attracting customers. And ever since the advent of smoking and non-smoking sections in restaurants, few have had to put up cigarette smoke if they don't want to. I know. I sit in those sections.
But you would rather have the gestapo decide.
ML/NJ
"Interesting poll result from the Tobacco State."
Not really considering it probably was polled out of Chapel Hill respondents to get that high a percentage against smoking.
Understand, this is the area that tobacco built. Those most resentful of that are the volumes of liberal northern transplants to the urban areas in the Triad, Triangle and Charlotte.
I think owners should decide on their own. But I'm with the folks who will go to a no smoking restaurant first, especially when my wife and son are with me.
People who vote for these usurpations deserve the slavery that will certainly follow. Unfortunately, their grandchildren will be the ones who will live in lives of misery instead of them.
Do you support such laws or not?
This thread is already getting a lot of addiction fueled denial.
So sit in the NON-smoking section or go to a restaurant which chooses not to allow smoking.
People just hate having their clothes smell like stale cigarette smoke when they get home.
So what? No one said you had to go there. I hate not being able to relax after a good dinner with a cigarette. Does YOUR desire not to have your clothes smell like smoke override MY desire to want to smoke?
Some background: The director of this poll is a poli-sci professor, not statistics or polling. Students do the polling, so it's not a professional poll. He also has an agenda that he can influence the legislature with his polls, and he's proud of his past successes. Getting a smoking ban would be another influence on the legislature that he can brag about.
One of his hyped polls was of "military members" (look deeper and it's anyone who's ever been in the military) that strongly disapproved of Bush's handling of Iraq. The polling was 500 something people over the phone, of which 80 were "military" and that's what the poll was based on.
I am a non-smoker and have never smoked. However, cigarettes are a legal substance. Either they ban them entirely or leave it up to the individual establishments to decide on whether their places will allow smoking or not. I don't think the government should be involved in issuing such edicts.
I get food smell in my clothes. Maybe we should ban food in restaurants.
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