Long Island/Hudson Valley Regional Survey
June 19 - July 23, 2009

Dutchess County Results 2009

 

Overview

511 Dutchess residents were interviewed on land line or cell phones between June 19 and July 23, 2009. Respondents were asked about their opinions and behaviors related to smoking. SEE THE QUESTIONNAIRE USED FOR THIS SURVEY.

  • Anti-smoking sentiment and the desire to restrict smoking even outdoors has increased since 2007.
  • In 2009 13% of Dutchess residents report smoking every day, with another 6% smoking “some days,” for a total of 19%. Although this is the same as the level seen in 2007, it is likely to really represent a drop in smokers, since cell phone respondents were not included in 2007. Dutchess County residents who do not have landline phones in their homes, and who were interviewed on their cell phones, were much more likely to be smokers.
  • The national rate reported by Gallup, July 22, 2009 as having “smoked any cigarettes in the past week” (which may underestimate occasional smokers) was 20%.
  • 45% of county residents have smoked at least 100 cigarettes, but more than half no longer smoke.
  • While those over 50 are more likely to have smoked 100 cigarettes, those under 50 are much more likely to currently smoke.
  • Those with incomes under $50,000 are more likely to smoke than those with higher incomes.
  • Anti-smoking sentiment and the desire to restrict smoking even outdoors in Dutchess is similar to what is seen in the other LI-HV counties.
  • 89% of Dutchess residents believe that breathing secondhand smoke is harmful to one’s health, with 64% saying it is very harmful.
  • More than 3/4 of Dutchess residents support restricting or prohibiting smoking at parks and beaches.
  • Two thirds (69%) of county residents would support a law banning smoking near building entrances, up from 60% in 2007.
  • A majority (55%) of Dutchess residents think condos and apartment buildings should be smoke-free.
  • While 50% think pharmacies should not sell tobacco products, only 38% think such restrictions should apply to grocery stores.
  • Three quarters (77%) would like to see store owners voluntarily decrease the number of tobacco ads in their stores.
Effect of 2nd hand smoke
  • Two thirds (64%) of Dutchess County residents see breathing secondhand smoke as very harmful to one’s health. Another 25 % see it as somewhat harmful, for an overall 89% believing that secondhand smoke is harmful to one’s health. This is similar to the 92% who saw it as harmful (66% very harmful and 26% somewhat harmful) in 2007.

Even daily smokers believe that breathing secondhand smoke is very harmful.

Smoking Outdoors

Smoking near building entrances

  • 69% would support a law banning smoking within 50 feet of all building entrances, up from 60% in 2007.

A majority of all groups, including smokers, now endorse such a ban. Support for a ban is highest among women, non-whites, Democrats, and, of course, non-smokers.

Parks

  • 79% of Dutchess residents, including a majority of smokers, would at least restrict smoking in parks. This level of support for restrictions is up from 73% in 2007, with 30% now not wanting smoking to be allowed anywhere in parks, up from 23% in 2007.

About half, 49% would restrict smoking in parks to certain areas. Only 20% would allow smoking anywhere in parks, compared to 27% in 2007.

While a plurality of every group would restrict, not ban, smoking in parks, women are more likely than men to want smoking totally banned in parks.

Beaches
  • 77% support banning or restricting smoking on beaches, again up from the 70% we found in 2007.

Forty-six percent would restrict smoking to certain beach areas, while 31% would not allow smoking on beaches at all. A majority of all groups agree to at least restricting smoking on beaches. Again, women are most likely to support a ban.

 

Smoke-Free Apartments & Condos
  • Most Dutchess residents (55%) think apartments and condos should be smoke-free to protect non-smokers from their neighbors’ secondhand smoke. Not surprisingly, daily smokers disagree.

Most in favor of smoke-free apartments and condos are the young, those with incomes under $30,000, and non-whites—all groups who are more likely to be living in apartments than older, wealthier and white residents of Dutchess County.

Selling tobacco products

• While only 38% say grocery stores should not sell tobacco products, 50% say pharmacies should not be selling cigarettes or other tobacco.
There is a clear gender difference here, with men significantly more likely than women to approve of grocery stores and even pharmacies selling tobacco products. Sixty-one percent of men say it is all right for grocery stores to sell cigarettes, compared to 41% of women, and 50% of men say it is all right for pharmacies, compared to only 33% of women.

Voluntary decrease
  • As was true in 2007, 77% of Dutchess residents would like to see a voluntary decrease in tobacco advertising in stores.

More than 60% of every group, including smokers, would like to see such a voluntary decrease in store advertising of tobacco products.

Smokers and Smoking
  • Nineteen percent of Dutchess County adults smoke at least sometimes—as was true in 2007. This is also similar to the 20% nationwide who reported smoking in the last week on a July 2009 Gallup poll.
  • 45% of the county’s adult residents say they have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lives, but more than half of this group no longer smokes.
  • Thirteen percent of Dutchess adults report smoking on a daily basis, with another 6% saying they smoke some days. Eighty-one percent of Dutchess adults say they do not smoke at all.
  • Residents who do not have landline phones in their homes and were interviewed on their cell phones were twice as likely to be daily smokers as those with landlines.

Dutchess adults over age 50 are more likely to have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lives, than are those under 50, but the level of current smoking drops sharply after age 50.

Those with incomes under $50,000 are much more likely to smoke than are wealthier Dutchess residents, and Latino residents of the county are more likely to smoke than are non-Latinos.

Men are more likely than women to say they have smoked at least 100 cigarettes, but there is not a significant gender difference in current smoking.

Dutchess residents who do not have landline phones in their homes are more likely to be young, male, and Latino —and they are twice as likely to be daily smokers.

Methodology

This telephone poll of a random sample of 511 adults in Dutchess County was conducted for Smokefree Dutchess by Baruch College Survey Research, School of Public Affairs, Baruch College, City University of New York from June 19-July 23, 2009.

Landline telephone interviews were conducted among those who have landline phones, and cell phone interviews were conducted among those who do not have landlines in their homes. Polls were conducted simultaneously in 8 other counties in the Long Island/Hudson Valley region.

The landline sample was based on an RDD design which draws numbers from all existing landline telephone exchanges in Dutchess County, giving all phone numbers, listed and unlisted, a proportionate chance of being included. Respondents in the landline sample were selected randomly within the household. This sample was supplemented by a cell phone sample, based on numbers identified as cell phones in the LI-HV region. Respondents were screened for residence in Dutchess County and for the presence of a land line in their household. Respondents were offered the option of being interviewed in Spanish. The estimated average sample tolerance for data from the poll is 4.4% for the full sample of 511 at the 95% confidence level. That is, the chances are about 19 out of 20 that if all households with telephones were surveyed with the same questionnaire, the results of the complete census would not be found to deviate from the poll findings by more than 4.4 percentage points. Error for subgroups is higher. Differences among subgroups not noted above should not be used. Sampling is only one source of error. Other sources of error may include question wording, question order and interviewer effects.