Survey: Most Chinese in favor of stricter tobacco controls
By Zhou Wenting | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2023-09-26 16:55
A high proportion of the public agree that tobacco controls should be included in the country's national-level health regulations, according to a recent survey.
According to the survey by the Health Communication Institute of Fudan University, 90.5 percent of the respondents said they are in favor of having a complete ban on smoking in indoor public areas, indoor workplaces and public transport included in the national health regulations.
The institute held an event with Shanghai-based Xinmin Weekly to publish the survey results on Tuesday.
More than 93 percent of the respondents indicated that laws against sales of tobacco products to juveniles should also be included, while 88.5 percent expressed support for banning tobacco advertisements in mass media as well as in public places and on public transportation.
The survey conducted by the institute polled more than 3,200 adult residents on the Chinese mainland from June to August.
Experts of the institute said that of the 44 cities in 27 provinces they examined for the survey, only four cities - Qinghuangdao in Hebei province, Yangquan in Shanxi province, and Changchun and Songyuan in Jilin province - have enacted regulations to set up a smoke-free environment.
According to the survey, the public generally believes that tobacco control in the country has been improving - 60.7 percent of respondents said that the number of individuals around them who smoke are decreasing, and 87 percent believe that more and more people are opposing smoking.
"A complete smoke-free environment in public venues also benefit families to build a smoke-free environment as the smokers have been adapted to refraining from smoking indoors," said Zheng Pinpin, a professor from the Health Communication Institute of Fudan University.
Meng Yan, deputy director of the Fengtai District Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing, said that e-cigarettes should also subjected to tobacco control regulations.
"No smoking signs in public venues should highlight that e-cigarettes are also banned," she said.
