60% of Bulgarians Back Full Smoking Ban

Bulgaria has one of the highest smokers' rates in the EU at some 39% of people declaring themselves daily smokers, topped only by Greece at 42%. File photo

60% of the Bulgarian citizens are in favor of the full smoking ban in closed public spaces that is expected to be introduced later in 2012, a poll conducted by Gallup has revealed.

The poll has also shown that the number of smokers in the country has decreased by 2%. Approximately 39% of all Bulgarians were smokers in 2011, compared with 41 in 2010.

People aged between 26 and 40 are the most fervent smokers in Bulgaria, 55% of them being "slaves" to the bad habit.

Some 10% of the smokers approached by the pollsters have claimed that they would quit within the next two or three months.

Bulgaria's cabinet recently issued an official proposal to introduce a full smoking ban for closed public areas on June 1, 2012.

The potential ban is the second most important reason for quitting the bad habit, smokers have said, the first being the increased cigarette prices in the country, according to the poll.

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