Ryne George
Intro. Mass Comm.
May 6, 2010
Poll Story
2 years later – Do University of Iowa students agree with the smoking ban?
Seeing a person smoking on the University of Iowa campus is a rare sight anymore. Of course you will see the occasional rebel blowing smoke outside the library but it is not as common anymore since the smoking ban was enforced in July of 2008. A lot of time has passed since the ban started so how do the students feel about the ban? A recent survey conducted by nine University of Iowa undergraduates gives some insight on the ban.
The survey polled just over 200 U of Iowa students asking a range of questions from “Do you smoke cigarettes?” to “Do you think the smoking ban is fair?” The group who conducted the survey had figured students would agree with the ban mostly because it is a health benefit for the student population when people aren’t releasing second hand smoke in the air. On the other end of the spectrum, they were expecting smokers to disagree with the ban and thinking it was unfair.
As expected, most students, 70%, agree with the ban while 15% did not agree. Knowing this helps University of Iowa officials determine if the ban is beneficial and popular amongst everyone. Something important to look closer at is whether people view the ban as fair. Health is the main reason people are supporting this ban. With recent studies proving that smoking bans could help prevent 100,000 to 225,000 heart attacks a year, it is no surprise 70% of students like the ban. Other reasons included:
} Avoiding a” smokey” scent when going out to the bars or restaurants.
} The social atmosphere is more appealing without smokers around.
} The ban could actually help make people quit smoking since they don’t have a lot of opportunities to smoke.
Other universities have smoking bans and many feel that people’s rights are being violated when the university passes a law that says a person is not allowed to do something.
25% of the people polled thought the smoking ban was unfair to smokers. While the number is relatively small, since the sample was 200, it is still relevant to look into taking certain measures to hearing proposals to make the ban fair.
At this moment, smokers can smoke at certain areas of the sidewalk that the City of Iowa City own but that is about it on campus. Should the U of I designate certain areas for smokers?
The University of Iowa has done the correct thing by banning smoking on the campus. The survey done proves this because a lot of people agree with it but should the university stop there? The U of I should have serious discussions about the smokers who are affected by this ban. If they are old enough to buy tobacco products than they should be able to smoke them in a designated area. This will make the smokers happy and keep the rest of the public away from deadly secondhand smoke.
