Objective: [corrected] A population-based survey was conducted to know the attitudes towards new Italian smoke-free regulations and its impact on tobacco consumption.
Material and methods: We considered 3,114 subjects aged 15 or over, representative of the general adult Italian population.
Results: Once smoke-free policies were introduced, support for them tended to increase. Smoke-free policies accounted for 8% decrease in cigarette consumption in the short run. Tobacco bans were almost universally accepted, and do not seem to unfavourably affect the business of restaurants or cafes.
Conclusions: The results of our study, show the advantages of smoke-free legislations, which may have major public health implications.