Attitudes toward cigarette smoking as deviant behavior

Abstract EN

This study investigates on-going changes in the attitudes towards cigarettesmoking.

It examines changes in the attitudes of both students and employees fortow periods of time 1991 and 1995.

It consists of 417 males (54.58%) and 347females (45%).

A total of 35% of the sample are smokers.

It is made up of morethan half males (59%) and (9%) of them females.

Findings show a significantincrease in opposing cigarette smoking for males and female in 1995 compared to1991.Significant differences were found in the attitude towards cigarette smokingattributed to time lag, smoking status, sex, and job (F= 7.713,81.892, 25.017,34.399; P=.005, .0001,.0001, .0001 respectively).Moreover, significant changes in the process of labeling deviance categoriesover time (1991 vs.

1995) are obvious.

Smokers have accepted negative sociallabels attached to their smoking behavior.

There is an increase in the amount ofthis acceptance over the time.

Non-smokers are tougher on labeling smokers.Significant changes has occurred in defining and redefining cigarette smoking asdeviant behavior.