Youth Attitudes
Overall, youth developed more negative views about the use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco from the mid-1970s through the 1990s, although there was a considerable “backslide” in the early 1990s. With that exception, the perception that using cigarettes or smokeless tobacco carried “great risk” increased steadily over time, as did disapproval of tobacco use, while perceived availability of cigarettes decreased.
Adult Attitudes
Toward Smoking Bans in Public Places The Tobacco Supplement to the Current Population Survey provides the only longitudinal trends on adult attitudes toward smoking and social norms, as measured by views of smoking bans in public places during the 1990s (Figure 10). Support increased steadily from 1992 to 2007 for bans on smoking in restaurants (from 45 percent to 64 percent), bars (24 percent to 44 percent) and sports arenas (67 percent to 79 percent).