INTRODUCTION
“SCSU: Up in Smoke?” is
the title of our research, which revolves considers the subject of smoking of
Saint Cloud State University students.
Due to recent legislation that restricts smoking cigarettes in public places
we wanted to examine how SCSU students feel about implementing similar
restrictions on their campus. The data
we gathered was from three surveys conducted in Spring 2000, Fall 2000, and
Spring 2001. The first question focuses
on the students’ views on the harm of second-hand smoking. The second question seeks data on the number
of smokers on the SCSU campus. We
created a cross tabulation between the previous two questions. The third question asks students their views
on banning smoking within 50 feet of a SCSU classroom, administrative, or
activity building. We also computed
cross tabulations on the smoking ban question and we also include analysis of
survey data collected in the fall of 2000 about prohibiting smoking in bars and
restaurants. This data is used
primarily for comparative analysis between the views of the citizens of the
state of Minnesota and SCSU students.
METHODOLOGY (see methodology on intro to Spring, 2001
page)
Substantive
Findings: Frequency Analysis
The
following question was asked to determine how harmful students think second
hand smoke is. Overall, students feel
that secondhand smoke is harmful. In
2000, 97 percent of students thought that second hand smoke was harmful and 3
percent of the respondents reported they did not think it was harmful. In 2001 the data is the same. The views held by students were identical in
2001 to those of 2000. See Table 2
below.
Table 2
|
Do you personally
believe that second hand smoke is very harmful, somewhat harmful, not
harmful, or not at all harmful? |
||
|
(Percentages) |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Very
harmful |
54 |
54 |
|
Somewhat
harmful |
43 |
43 |
|
Not
harmful |
2 |
2 |
|
Not
at all harmful |
1 |
1 |
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
We then ascertained if students
smoked cigarettes or not. Fewer
students reported that they smoked in 2001 in than they did in the 2000
survey. In 2000, 29 percent of students
said they smoked cigarettes and 71 percent did not. In 2001 24 percent of the students we interviewed reported that
they smoked cigarettes and 76 said they did not. See Table 3 below. This
compares to the findings of a study conducted by the Centers for Disease
Control Prevention in 1999, which found that in 1999 23 percent of Americans
smoked.[1]
Table 3
|
Do you smoke cigarettes? |
||
|
(Percentages) |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Yes |
29 |
24 |
|
No |
71 |
76 |
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
We then examined student views on
implementing a no-smoking policy near most buildings on the SCSU campus. Table 4 show that more students agree with
the implementation of such a policy in 2001 than they did in 2000. In 2000, 56 percent of the respondents
agreed with establishing a smoking policy on campus while 41 percent disagreed
and 3 percent had yet to decide. In
2001, 59 percent agreed, 39 percent disagreed and 2 percent of the respondents
had yet to decide how they felt.[2]
Table 4
|
Do you strongly
agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree that SCSU should have a smoking
policy on campus prohibiting cigarette smoking within 50 feet of a SCSU
classroom, administrative or activity building? |
||
|
(Percentages) |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Agree |
56 |
59 |
|
Disagree |
41 |
39 |
|
DK |
3 |
2 |
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
To compare SCSU students views on implementing a smoking ban on campus with how residents of the entire state of Minnesota feel on implementing smoking restrictions we utilized the fall of 2000 statewide survey. When asked how they felt on prohibiting smoking in bars and restaurants, the respondents’ answers were very similar to those of SCSU students. Table 5 shows that 56 percent of Minnesota residents agree with a smoking ban, 40 percent disagreed with the ban, and four percent had yet to decide.[3]
Table 5
|
Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree that smoking should be prohibited in all restaurants and bars that serve food? |
|
|
Response |
(Percentages) |
Agree |
56 |
|
Disagree |
40 |
|
DK |
4 |
|
Total |
100 |
We find it particularly interesting that at first pass, it would appear that smokers probably disagree with the ban. Cross tabulation will allow us to analyze that proposition. At this time, the data does clearly suggest that the majority of SCSU students and Minnesota residents favor a ban on smoking cigarettes. This could mean that SCSU students and Minnesotans will be more willing to accept future campus, statewide, and national policies on prohibiting smoking.
Substantive
Findings: Cross Tabulation
The following cross tabulation compares those SCSU students that reported they smoke cigarettes and SCSU students who reported they didn’t smoke cigarettes and how they felt about implementing a smoking ban on campus. See Table 6 below.
Table 6
|
Cigarette Smoking by Cigarette Smoking Ban |
||
(Column Percentages) |
Smoke
|
|
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
Agree with the ban |
33 |
69 |
|
Disagree with the ban |
67 |
31 |
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
Contrary to the assumption we made earlier about smokers not favoring a
smoke ban, we found, as Table 6 shows, that one third of SCSU student smokers
are in favor of the ban. Clearly, most
smokers are not. What we find particularly interesting is that one third of
nonsmokers oppose a smoke ban.[4]