Statements and Quotes
(Word .DOC format)2 December 2003
District Of Columbia Voters Support Smokefree Workplace Law By Nearly Two-To-One Margin
New poll shows restaurants and bars would benefit from greater patronage under smokefree law
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 2, 2003) - A new poll released today finds strong support among District of Columbia voters for a city law making all workplaces smokefree. By nearly a two-to-one margin (60 percent to 35 percent), District voters would support a city law requiring all workplaces, including offices, restaurants and bars, to be 100 percent smokefree. This support comes from a broad-based coalition of voters in every part of the city.
"Clearly, there is very strong support for the smokefree law among D.C. voters,” said Mark Mellman, president of The Mellman Group, Inc., which conducted the poll. “Overwhelming majorities are concerned about the health harms of secondhand smoke, believe all District workers should be protected from it, and would find restaurants and bars healthier and more enjoyable if they were smokefree.”
The poll also found that District voters are more likely to visit both restaurants and bars if the smokefree law is enacted. Nearly three times as many District voters would go out to restaurants more often as would go out less often if all DC restaurants were smoke-free (20 percent more to 7 percent less, with the balance indicating that the law would not affect how often they dine out). Additionally, by a margin of more than two-to-one, District voters said they would go out to bars more often if all DC bars were smokefree (15 percent more to 7 percent less). These findings help explain why virtually every objective economic study ever conducted on the subject shows that smokefree laws have no negative impact on the hospitality industry and may in fact have a positive impact over time.
The intention to go out more frequently is not surprising given that patrons of Washington, D.C.’s restaurants and bars said these establishments would be healthier and more enjoyable if they were smokefree. Eight of ten District voters (82 percent) believe that these places would be healthier, and 79 percent want to be able to enjoy Washington’s restaurants and bars without smelling like smoke at the end of the evening.
The survey of 500 registered voters in the District of Columbia was released today by Smokefree DC, a coalition of concerned citizens, community and health groups including the local chapters of the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, as well as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The survey is being released on the eve of a City Council hearing to discuss a proposed smokefree workplace policy that would require all District workplaces to be smokefree, including offices, restaurants, bars and healthcare facilities.
“Voters recognize that exposure to secondhand smoke is a health hazard, and this poll demonstrates that they want a strong law protecting their right and the right of all workers to breathe clean air," said Dr. Bailus Walker, chair of Smokefree DC. “The City Council should listen to the people of the District and quickly act on this bill.”
Three-fourths of District voters (74 percent) are concerned about the health effects of secondhand smoke. Voters feel that secondhand smoke is a health hazard for workers including waiters and waitresses in restaurants (82 percent), bartenders (81 percent) and workers in an office where other people smoke (81 percent). Eight of ten voters (82 percent) agree that all District workers should be protected from exposure to secondhand smoke in the workplace. These concerns translate to the very strong belief among voters (by a margin of 72 percent to 12 percent) that the right of customers and employees to breathe clean air in restaurants and bars is more important than the right of smokers to smoke inside these places.
The dangers of secondhand smoke are well documented. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes cancer, heart disease and serious lung ailments. Secondhand smoke contains more than 50 carcinogens and more than 4,000 chemicals, including formaldehyde, cyanide, carbon monoxide and arsenic.
Contrary to opponents’ claims that smokefree laws hurt business, numerous economic studies have consistently shown that such laws do not harm sales or employment in restaurants and bars and may even have a positive impact. For example, in California, which in 1998 became the first state to include bars in a smokefree law, restaurant and bar sales grew at a faster rate after the law took effect, while employment continued to grow at about the same rate. Today, California’s law is overwhelmingly popular with bar owners, employees and the public. Early economic data in New York City, which went smokefree in March, show jobs being added in the hospitality industry and tourism increasing since the law took effect. A recent Zagat survey concluded, “The city’s recent smoking ban, far from curbing restaurant traffic, has given it a major lift.” The survey of nearly 30,000 New York restaurant-goers found that 23 percent of respondents said they are eating out more often because of the city’s smokefree workplace law, while only four percent said they are eating out less. In nearby Delaware, which went smokefree a full year ago, there has been no decline in licenses for restaurants or bars, employment in this sector, or liquor sales.
The random survey of 500 registered District of Columbia voters was conducted November 16-18, 2003 by The Mellman Group, Inc. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points.