MOSCOW, June 09, 2008 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents information on the extend to which Russians are addicted to smoking.

Only family and work are more important than smoking. Smoking occupies a third place in the rating of activities, habits and values that Russians cannot do without. Thus, smoking is valued equally with money, communication and TV (9-11% of respondents mentioned these values and habits). Only family (25%) and work (15%) seem to be more important for the respondents.

Every third Russian got captured into the web of the tobacco companies. Two thirds of respondents (64%) mentioned that can easily do without smoking. 13% state that they could do without it, but they would have to take pains to do so. And, finally, one fifth of respondents (21%) simply cannot do without cigarettes. The share of chain smokers is especially high among men (37% cannot do without this habit); residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg (27%); supporters of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (26%), LDPR voters (34%) and V. Zhirinovsky personally (46%), as well as those who would not participate in presidential or parliamentary elections if those took place in this weekend (31-32%).

He who drinks surely smokes as well. The habit of smoking is closely associated with alcohol addiction: only 12% of those who are not addicted to alcohol, cannot do without smoking; as well as every second respondent (48%) of those who can do without alcohol, but it is hard to him/her, and the overwhelming majority (88%) of those who cannot imagine his/her life without alcohol.

Every second chain smoker (46%) thinks that he/she is not addicted to anything. A similar estimation is also characteristic of those who believe that they could do without smoking (even though it would be difficult) – 55%; and for two thirds of non-smokers (66%).

In practice, however, only a few manage to give up smoking. 41% of respondents who cannot do without smoking, tried to fight against their addiction, but no more than 3% of them managed to do so. Those who have not yet tried to get rid of their addictions are a lot more numerous, 15% of them are planning to try and overcome it some day, and 39% do not see any need to do so.

The initiative All-Russia opinion poll was conducted by VCIOM on May 17-18, 2008. 1600 respondents were interviewed each time in 153 population areas of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.