Smokers’ Attitude and Behavior towards Cigarette Littering in Romania: A Survey-Based Approach

Elena Simina Lakatos, Lucian Ionel Cioca (), Andrea Szilagyi, Andreea Loredana Bîrgovan and Elena Cristina Rada
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Elena Simina Lakatos: Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment Ernest Lupan, 400800 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Lucian Ionel Cioca: Faculty of Engineering, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 10 Victoriei Blv., 550024 Sibiu, Romania
Andrea Szilagyi: Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment Ernest Lupan, 400800 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Andreea Loredana Bîrgovan: Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment Ernest Lupan, 400800 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Elena Cristina Rada: Theoretical and Applied Science Department, Insubria University, 46 Via G.B. Vico, I-21100 Varese, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-10

Abstract: Cigarette butts continue to be a significantly detrimental challenge for both human health and the quality of the environment and life in general. The escalating accumulation of inadequately discarded cigarette butts continues unabated, in spite of the myriad legislative procedures that have been instituted by authorities with the objective of incentivizing diminution of this phenomenon. For decades, the scientific literature has discussed the importance of smokers’ behavior and beliefs in contributing to the problem. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze cigarette butt littering behavior using a survey-based questionnaire. A total of 1643 complete responses were collected from Romanian smokers addressing their knowledge, practices, and views regarding the disposal of cigarette butts. According to the findings, awareness about the impacts and characteristics of cigarette butts is problematic, as are smokers’ self-reported explanations for their conduct. Specifically, more than 30% of the sample stated that cigarette butts are biodegradable, and 31.5% believe that cigarette butts are not toxic to the environment. The results also showed that only 19.7% of the smokers strongly believed that they should be considered accountable for their behavior. Future study directions are provided to advance studies in this area and improve present approaches to lessen the frequency of this behavior.

Keywords: pollution; microplastic; cigarette waste; littering behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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