why it is important to survey the views of public administrators toward anti-smoking efforts or attempts to regulate cigarette smoking is related to their own smoking behavior. In this regard, it can be noted that in a study of occupational stress and smoking, Serxner, Catalano, Dooley and Mishra (1992) observed that the heaviest smokers in their random sample of 556 employed smoking adults working in Orange Country, California were public administrators.
Indeed, of all the occupations assessed by Serxner, Catalano,Dooley and Mishra (1992), 88.9 percent of the public administrator section were heavy smokers. In summary then, there is a clear need for research investigating the attitudes of public administrators toward anti-smoking efforts such as regulation of the industry.
As just noted, there have not been any studies which specifically measured public administrators' attitudes toward cigarette smoking. However, there is some research which bears indirectly upon the topic.
First, it is important to also note that public policy does influence cigarette smoking. For example, McVay (1991) correlated smoking preference and cigarette sales with a number of anti-smoking provisions and policies.
A strong relationship was found between states which severely restrict smoking in public places and lower smoking prevalence in the adult population. Smoking prevalence and state restrictive policies had a correlation of r = .46, with a p value probability of.009. McVay (1991) stated that the strong correlation between smoking restrictions in public places and lower per capita cigarette sales indicated that Clean Indoor Air Acts reduce overall smoking levels in the general population.
The study also observed that states with no restrictions or weak nominal laws that restrict smoking in public places were the states with the higher percentages of current smokers. No correlation was found between the minimum age to legally...