One year after the smoking ban entered into force in Romania, 83% of Romanians agree with the new regulations, according to a recent study on the level of support for policies aimed at reducing tobacco consumption in Romania.

The study was conducted in March-April 2017 by Mercury Research, at the request of the local anti-smoking initiative group "2035 Without Tobacco". A total of 1,000 people participated in the study.

Even the smokers are supporting the ban, with 66% of them agreeing with the law banning smoking in enclosed public spaces, shows the study, cited by local News.ro. Moreover, 80% of Romanians consider that the smoke-free law contributes to increasing the awareness on the dangers of smoking.

Most of the respondents (72%) agree that the law helps people quit smoking and keeps them from resuming this habit by reducing the social occasions in which people smoke. At the same time, 75% believe that the normative act contributes to the prevention of smoking in the case of minors and young people.

Furthermore, three-quarters of Romanians and two-thirds of smokers believe that the smoke-free law contributes to making smoking a less "normal" activity.

The study also shows that a third of Romania’s population is smoking, most smokers being people aged 26-35, with higher income, who live in urban areas. Most of them smoke at least one pack of cigarettes per day (40% of smokers, with more than 20 cigarettes per day). On average, men smoke more than women, with 16 cigarettes per day in men’s case vs. 12 cigarettes per day in women’s case.

Over a quarter of non-smokers (28%) smoked in the past, and 2% quit smoking in the last year, according to the study.

Most smokers (91%) agree that passive smoking affects the health of others, while 93% believe that children are more affected than adults. Nearly two-thirds (67%) of smokers believe that it’s not normal to smoke in parks or near children's playgrounds.

The study also reveals that about two-thirds (69%) of Romanians would support an initiative that would ban the promotion of tobacco products in shops and restaurants or bars, and 82% would support national anti-smoking policies that aim to reduce tobacco consumption in Romania.

The law prohibiting smoking in all enclosed public spaces was adopted in December 2015, signed by president Klaus Iohannis in January 2016, and enforced starting March 2016. An enclosed public space is defined as a space that has a roof or a ceiling and at least two walls.

"2035 Without Tobacco" is a local initiative group supporting efforts to prevent smoking adoption by children and teenagers.

Smoking ban gets Romania up 12 places in the Tobacco Control Scale

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com