Some 81 per cent of the public believe publicans should comply with the new smoking regulations by implementing an outright ban on smoking in their pubs, according to a new study published yesterday.
The study by TNS/mrbi for the Office of Tobacco Control was carried out last month. The research team posed the following question to a representative sample of 1,000 people over the age of 15: "Assuming that the Minister does proceed with the ban, should publicans comply with the law or not?" A total of 81 per cent, including 61 per cent of smokers, said they should.
Support for compliance with the ban was strong across all groups in society, with 91 per cent of higher-income groups believing publicans should obey the law and 74 per cent in lower-income groups saying they should do so.
Support was highest among older age groups, with 88 per cent of over-55s saying publicans should comply with the regulations, compared to 75 per cent of those in the 15 to 24 age group.
Ms Valerie Robinson, director of communications with the Office of Tobacco Control, said the survey showed there was overwhelming public support for the new law and that it would be to a considerable extent self-enforced.
The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Mr Ivor Callely, said the survey sent a message to publicans they could not ignore. He urged publicans and others in the hospitality industry who have been considering taking legal action against the ban to listen to what their customers were saying. "People want a safe, clean, healthy environment when they socialise," he said.
However, the Vintners Federation of Ireland senior vice-president, Mr Seamus O'Donoghue, was sceptical about the survey's findings. "If you ask the right question, you will get the answer you are looking for," he said.
He said another study, conducted by Lansdowne Market Research for the Irish Cigarette Machine Operators Association (ICMOA), found that 54 per cent of a random sample of 1,200 people over the age of 18 felt the ban was excessive.
The VFI is currently studying the constitutionality of the ban.