The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: To identify the concerns and hopes about smokefree bars expressed in press coverage before the ban on workplace smoking in New Zealand in December 2004, and to examine the extent to which these concerns and hopes were supported by evidence before and after the implementation.

Methods: The Factiva database was used to search for articles, editorials, and letters in 12 New Zealand newspapers (11 dailies and 1 Sunday paper) from January 2000 to November 2005, using the words ‘bars and (smoking or smokers or smoker or smoke),' which were about tobacco smoke in licensed premises. Medline, EBESCO and Google Scholar databases, as well as New Zealand official and other sources were searched for evidence on the validity of the concerns.

Results: In the 671 items found, the concerns expressed included lost revenue by bars, lost bar jobs, restrictions on ‘rights' and freedoms, and bar management concerns about removing smokers. The hopes expressed included health benefits (reduced risks, increased quitting), lower costs (cleaning, insurance), and undisturbed profits.

Before and after the ban, evidence was found for large differences between the revenue growth of traditional bars and clubs, compared to cafes and restaurants. This indicated that revenue and job fears from the ban were, for these sectors as a whole, relatively unjustified compared to the problems of adaptation to long term trends in changing consumer preferences. Little evidence was found before and after the ban to justify fears about unruly smokers. Considerable evidence was found before and after the ban on increased health benefits.