SMOKE-FREE HOUSING ONTARIO http://www.smokefreehousingon.ca
Housing Co-Ops: Resident Surveys
In 2009 the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit published cross-sectional data (July 2007 to June 2008) from the Ontario Tobacco Survey, an ongoing random-digit-dialling telephone survey of Ontario adults. Fifteen hundred smokers and 1,000 non-smokers were asked “In the past six months, how often have you noticed any tobacco smoke entering your home from a neighbour, neighbouring unit or from outside the building?” Highlights of the survey include:
- 28% of respondents living in multi-unit dwellings were most likely to notice smoke entering their units;
- Age, gender, marital status, education, home ownership, and presence of children in the home were not significantly related to noticing second-hand smoke entering homes.
In 2006 the Ontario Tobacco-Free Network commissioned Ipsos Reid to poll adult Ontarians living in multi-unit dwellings about their experiences with infiltrating second-hand smoke. The 1,832 person sample size included apartment renters as well as condominium owners. Highlights of the poll include:
- Almost half (46%) reported second-hand smoke entering their unit in the past twelve months from somewhere else in the building;
- Only 27% complained about the smoke to their landlord or another outside agency;
- Of those who complained, 60% got no response and 30% were told there was nothing that could be done;
- A majority (64%) of all those surveyed indicated they would likely choose a smoke-free building if such a choice existed.