Smoking Stigma

Non-smokers stigmatize people who smoke. This is a social phenomenon that has increased over the last 50 years. American society seems to judge others who do not conform to the current social trends. For many years smoking was an acceptable behavior. In the 1940's cigarette smoking was hugely popular. During World War I, cigarette rations were given to soldiers and became known as the "Soldiers Smoke" (The Times, 2003). In 1939 Fortune magazine finds 53% of adult American males smoke; 66% of males under 40 smoke (Borio, 2001). Yet 60 years later that amount has been reduced to 28%, with the government striving to reach 21% in 2010 (Jarvis, 2003). However, now smoking is on the decline among many Americans and this is resulting in a stigma toward people who choose to smoke. I find this a problem I would like to research because many trends change with time. What is acceptable today may not be tomorrow.

I would first conduct the research by reviewing historical material on smoking in health journals and how smokers are portrayed in the media. This would also include a brief history of smoking over the last 100 years. In addition, I would include how health risk affects these beliefs and how they have worsened over the years. Then I would formulate my hypothesis on the study. It research seems to show that the more knowledge society attains about a certain health risk the more society develops social judgments to help avoid those risks.

There have also been differences in socioeconomic groups in relation to education and the amounts people smoke. Those in a lower income earning positions smoke more. In 2003, 35% of men and 31% of women in routine and manual labor occupations smoked compared to 20% of men and 17% of women in managerial and professional occupations (Jarvis, 2003). This could prove that those who have not received as much education about smoking risks do not feel the stigma related to smoking.

There are various methods of research that will be conducted. This is a list of the research I would conduct to support my hypothesis. I would conduct surveys from both smokers and nonsmokers about their feelings toward people who smoke. In addition, I would conduct research by observing what nonsmokers think about people who smoke without them knowing I am conducting an observation. The subjects being observed would not know they are part of the research until after completing the observation. I would then receive consent from them to ensure their right to privacy is kept before using the data toward the result. I would also use existing data on the subject from medical journals and relevant articles. These methods