The Smoking Ban - Survey Results
In the new spirit of self importance and keyboard warriorship (see Student Bar threads passim) Jimothy decided to quiz the Union President further on her claims that the campus smoking ban reflects the wishes of students.
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Subject Smoking ban, survey results
From <****@kent.ac.uk>
Date Tuesday, March 14, 2006 12:28 pm
To union-president@kent.ac.uk
Dear Emma
I emailed you a few months ago about the campus smoking ban; I wanted to know whether students were consulted on it. You replied that "a survey was conducted by the students' union and Kent Hospitality and it was found that the majority of people wanted a ban on smoking". You were quoted saying something similar in KRED, concluding that "if the students are happy, then I'm happy".
I have since been shown a copy of the survey results you appear to have been referring to. They reveal that:
- The survey concerned smoking in the VENUE ONLY - not other campus bars (!)
- Respondents (who were asked to choose between "no ban" or "total ban") voted AGAINST a ban (!!)
- Only 382 PEOPLE (2.7% of the student population) voted (!!!)
There may have been another survey, in which case I would be grateful if you would email me the results. Otherwise, please explain why you have represented the outcome above as a student mandate for the new smoking policy.
On the assumption that KRED will not be interested, I will post your reply on www.conversationamongtheruins.co.uk
Jimothy McWooster
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Subject Smoking Ban
From Emma Powell
Date Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:38 pm
To ****@kent.ac.uk
Jimothy,
This is OUR survey, not Kent Hospitality's so it would only be concerned with the Venue. If you want their results from their survey, I suggest you e-mail Simon Westerman, Director of Kent Hospitality.
Respondents were asked to choose between 'no ban' and 'total ban', they voted against a total ban which is exactly why we didn't do a total ban. The Lighthouse is the only bar which is completely non-smoking, the rest are smoking.
As for the number of people who answered the survey, it was available online and hard copies were available in all union outlets. It was also discussed at Exec and Union Council. We can't force people to fill it in.
We did lobby against the University introducing a total ban but this is what they wanted. We believe in giving students a choice and this is what we have done. The University have chosen to do it another way.
And on a final note, has it escaped your attention that all indoor areas in the whole country will be non smoking as of September 2007?
Emma
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Subject Re: Smoking Ban
From <****@kent.ac.uk>
Date Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:56 pm
To Emma Powell
Emma
Thanks, but I want to know why you've been claiming that students back this ban?
"A survey was conducted by the students' union and Kent hospitality and it was found that the majority of people wanted a ban on smoking."
What evidence is this claim based on?
Jimothy
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Subject Re: Smoking Ban
From Emma Powell
Date Wednesday, March 15, 2006 9:59 am
To ****@kent.ac.uk
Because student's wanted a ban, not a total ban but a ban in some areas. (See Survey) We did this by banning smoking in the Lighthouse. Students can still smoke in the Venue. They HAVE a choice.
It seems to me you have more of an issue with the college bars being non-smoking, so therefore I would suggest you contact the University.
The other reason for banning smoking is with regards to the health of our staff. It's not fair to make a non smoking staff member work in a smoky bar. We don't want them suing us years later because they have been diagnosed with lung cancer.
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Subject Re: Smoking Ban
From <****@kent.ac.uk>
Date Wednesday, March 15, 2006 11:24 am
To Emma Powell
Emma
The survey did not show support for any ban - partial or any other type. All it did was show opposition to a "total ban".
To interpret opposition to a "total ban" as support for a "partial ban" is utterly specious! Tony Blair would be proud!
Jimothy
PS. I live in Park Wood. The "choice" to smoke in the Woody’s annex is not an appealing one. The ventilation is so poor that your eyes water!
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Commentary:
This survey (whose results Emma eventually released after pressure from JL Cranfield) has been a critical part of the Union’s defence of the smoking ban. Yet it actually showed that respondents, asked only to choose between “no ban” and “total ban” in the Venue, preferred “no ban”.
One can speculate that, if the option “partial ban” had been included in the Union’s questionnaire alongside the two extremes, the median vote might have been for this option. But it wasn’t. Why? Because, I suspect, the Union weren’t prepared to risk a result, however unlikely, that explicitly rejected the partial smoking ban. The policy had already been decided on. A mandate would be nice, so we’ll try for one… but let’s not give them the chance to explicitly vote against the policy – that would look really bad!
Perhaps Emma thinks that her mandate stems from the response to Question 5: If we ban smoking from one floor of the Venue would this make you go a) More [111 votes] b) Less [93 votes] or c) Indifferent (sic) [178 votes]. But all this tells us is that the typical student, confronted with a partial ban, wouldn’t stop coming to the Venue. C’mon, the campus parking ban wouldn’t stop me coming to University – but I wouldn’t necessarily support it!!
Ignoring the survey results would have been one thing. But spinning them as support for the ban is the height of sophistry. Emma points out that public place smoking will be banned anyway in September 2007. Well if she thinks that justifies her mendacity then fine – people can judge.
Survey results:
By Jimothy
Copyright March 2006
