WASHINGTON (AP) – An increasing number of cigarette smokers believe there is something morally wrong about smoking cigarettes, according to a survey commissioned by the Public Health Service, which is the federal government’s principal antismoking advocate.
The percentage of male smokers surveyed who believed it is morally wrong rose from 16.4 in 1964 to 45 in 1966, the agency reported. The percentage of women smokers who believed it is morally bad rose from 13.2 in 1964 to 47.4 in 1966.
THE RESULTS of the two surveys on public attitudes on the smoking problem are just being released by the PHS to researchers and analysts.
The question arises as to what people mean when they say cigarette smoking is morally wrong.
Dr. Daniel Horn, director of the National Clearing House of Smoking and Health, said he believes it encompassed a feeling about taking care of the body.
“”YOU HAVE a certain responsibility for your body,”” Horn said in an interview. “” If you do something that harms it… you really don’t have the right to treat yourself that badly. It’s an old religious concept that it’s wrong to abuse your body.””
“” I GUESS IT would be as you begin to accept the fact that this cigarette smoking is seriously a harmful thing… I suppose people thought it was one of those minor vices, wasn’t good for you but wasn’t any catastrophic sort of thing: then as you realize the damage can be pretty appreciable.””
The first survey was made in 1964, several months after the government report on the dangers of smoking and is based on a sampling of 5,794 adult American smokers and nonsmokers.
The second, in 1966, covered 5,770 smokers and nonsmokers to determine any changes in attitude and behavior. A third is planned within the next 12 months. The first two were conducted for PHS by National Analysts, Inc, of Philadelphia, and the Opinion Research Corporation of Princeton, NJ.
PHS ESTIMATES there are about 50 million adult smokers in this country. About a million youths join the smoking group each year.
