Smokers More Appealing To Singles Now Than a Few Years Ago: Survey

The stigma around smoking has become so pronounced that, to borrow a phrase from Denis Leary, it seems the only place folks can light up is in their apartment, under a blanket, with all the lights out.

But despite the taboo, a new nationwide survey shows significantly more Canadians would consider dating a smoker now than three years ago.

In 2005, Ipsos-Reid asked 884 Canadian adults for Lavalife if they would date a smoker. Fully 56 per cent said they would not. This year, the dating website asked the same question of 6,313 Canadian adults and found the proportion of people unwilling to start a relationship with a smoker had dropped nine points to 47 per cent - 43 per cent of men and 51 per cent of women.

According to one researcher, however, that doesn't mean smoking is getting sexy.

James Fowler, an expert on the social costs of smoking, says anti-tobacco messages and bylaws have been so successful in stigmatizing cigarettes in recent years that lighting up has been transformed from a public act to a private vice. The survey results could be interpreted as a victory for the anti-smoking movement: he believes they suggest many non-smokers have forgotten "how gross it is" to be around tobacco users.

"The incidences of smoking are declining so much that people have fewer and fewer persistent, direct exposure to smokers," says Fowler, a professor at the University of California, San Diego. "The consequence is that when someone asks them in the abstract, 'Would you date a smoker,' it affects their answer."

The latest Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey shows smoking rates in Canada have declined by almost one-half in the last two decades, from 35 per cent in 1985 to 19 per cent (just under five million people age 15 and older) in 2006.

Among the ex-smokers is Lorna Stelmack, an Edmonton office manager who, after quitting in 1999, swore she'd never date a man who smoked.

Recently, however, she reconsidered after meeting a potential mate who liked to light up.

"I can't sweat the small things. Life's too short," says Stelmack. "I think people are just making their own choices now more than ever. People are more open."

Another possibility to explain the renewed acceptance, say experts, is that campaigns about the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke are losing impact. A recent Health Canada report showed the percentage of smokers who find cigarette packages' graphic images ineffective has climbed five points to 57 per cent in the last five years.

Federal financial commitments also changed during that time, says Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst for the Canadian Cancer Society.

"Five years ago, Health Canada was spending about $25 million annually on mass-media advertising campaigns to discourage smoking," he says. "Those campaigns have now been eliminated."

On balance, however, Cunningham believes the survey findings gives hope to those who would like to snuff out smoking, which causes 37,000 deaths each year in Canada.

"Essentially, half of people would not date a smoker, and that's a lot," he says. "For young people, this is a potential piece of information that could influence their smoking decision."

Daniele Parent, an etiquette coach from Montreal, didn't think dating a smoker would be a big deal when she launched a new romance.

"Perfection is quite boring" in a partner, she says.

But now that their relationship has gotten serious, she finds his habit is becoming a source of conflict.

"My boyfriend is so charming and has a lot of good qualities. But I find this little thing is really starting to bother me," says Parent. "I won't live with him until he stops, and that's a problem."

The 2005 survey is considered accurate within 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The 2008 survey is considered accurate within 1.23 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.



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