CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

A new survey by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has revealed the public's attitudes to the forthcoming smoking ban in England and Wales later in 2007.

The sample survey's key findings indicated that:

6.2 million people (17% of all adults in England and Wales) who visit pubs regularly are likely to visit pubs more often. Of that group 97% were non-smokers.

840,000 people who currently never go to a pub said they will after the smoking ban. Added to the figure for people who currently visit regularly that is a total of 7,040,000 people who will visit pubs more often.

93% of real ale drinkers said they would be more likely to visit pubs more often or that their visiting habits would not be changed by the ban. See table 1.

68% of regular smokers say it will not change their pub visiting habits at all.

69% of all adults said it would not affect their visits to pubs at all, only 3% said they would not visit pubs at all as a result of the ban.

Smokers are typically lager drinkers (43% of lager drinkers said they smoke). See table 2

CAMRA Chief Executive Mike Benner said: “This survey shows that non-smokers will be attracted to pubs after the ban comes into force, and many of them would like to find a real ale waiting for them when they get there.

“The smoking ban will be a difficult transition for licensees, but it is encouraging that only 3% of people surveyed by CAMRA said they would not visit pubs at all as a result of the ban. The key will be to ensure that other factors such as quality of real ale, food, atmosphere and welcome are all superb. If this is the case then the traditional Community Pub will have a bright and healthy future.”

The survey was carried out by CAMRA to mark Community Pubs Week which began on Saturday February 17th and will run until Saturday February 24th. Community Pubs Week supersedes National Pubs Week, which ran successfully for four years until 2006. However due to evidence that community pubs are under particularly severe threat CAMRA has refocused its efforts to protect them specifically.

For more information about Community Pubs Week or to find out some of the planned activities pubs will be taking part in, log on to www.pubsweek.org

ENDS

Notes to editors: The ban on smoking in pubs will come into force in Wales on April 2nd, and in England on July 1st.

The Pub Omnibus Survey was conducted by TNS on behalf of CAMRA from a sample of more than 1500 adults in England and Wales.

TABLE 1: Percentage of people who said they would be more likely to visit a pub or that their number of pub visits would not be affected by the ban

Real ale drinkers: 93%
Keg bitter drinkers: 90%
Wine drinkers: 89%
Soft Drink drinkers:88%
Spirit drinkers: 86%
Lager drinkers: 84%
Alcopop drinkers: 81%

TABLE 2: Percentage of people who smoke

Lager drinkers: 43%
Alcopop drinkers: 42%
Spirit drinkers: 37%
Keg bitter drinkers: 35%
Real ale drinkers: 25%
Soft drink drinkers: 24%
Wine drinkers: 20%

For more information contact:

CAMRA Press Officer Owen Morris: 01727 798443/07939 425471
CAMRA Chief Executive Mike Benner: 01727 798441/ 07971 591224
CAMRA Research and Information Manager Iain Loe: 01727 798449.
CAMRA Head of Policy and Public Affairs Jonathan Mail: 01727 798448
CAMRA Senior Press and Marketing Manager Tony Jerome: 01727 798444/ 07736 948186