The number of smokers in the European Union (EU) dropped from 33 percent in 2002 to 27 percent in the autumn of 2005, and 80 percent of Europeans would like to see smoking banned in public places.

These are two of the main findings of the European Commission's latest Eurobarometer survey on tobacco, released on Tuesday to mark World No Tobacco Day on 31 May.

The results of the survey show that the number of people saying they have never smoked has risen from 42 percent to 47 percent since 2002.

The number of people who have given up smoking has risen from 19 percent to 22 percent.

Women and young people smoke the least, the report said. The drop in smoking is also most marked among these groups, although there are considerable variations among EU member states.

The survey said 75 percent of people are aware that tobacco smoke can be dangerous for non-smokers and 56 percent of people are in favor of a smoking ban in restaurants.

Support for smoking restrictions is highest in the smoke-free member states, suggesting that approval for smoke-free policies tends to increase following their implementation, the report said.

Source: Xinhua