Over 80 per cent of respondents in 15 countries across the globe are in favour of smoking bans, according to a study conducted by research firm Synovate.

The June 2007 study also shows that 60 per cent of respondents who say they are smokers support bans in public places such as restaurants, bars and buildings, compared to nearly 90 per cent of non-smokers.

The study was conducted as smoking bans continue to make headlines in Germany, Australia, the UK and the UAE.

Although pubs across the world have started retiring their ashtrays, other businesses have started looking into opportunities presented by catering to a smokers' market.

Seventeen per cent of all respondents agree that they are willing to pay extra to fly on an airline that allows smoking - an insight that comes in handy for Germany's soon-to-launch Smintair, the world's first airline promising to 'reinstate the liberty of smoking in all seats'.

Synovate's smoking ban study polled over 8,500 respondents in Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Italy, Korea, the Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Taiwan, Thailand, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the UK.

More than 70 per cent of people believe that smoking in public is fine as long as there is adequate ventilation or designated smoking spaces, according to the study.

Just under half (48 per cent) of the people globally and 66 per cent of the UAE respondents supportive of smoking bans are in favour of them because they believe they have a positive influence upon public health.

One third of the respondents and 22 per cent of the UAE respondents support them because they do not like to be in places where other people are smoking and 14 per cent worldwide versus seven per cent in the UAE believe smoking bans make dining out and entertainment options more enjoyable.

Synovate's global smoking ban study found that, on average, 31 per cent of respondents across the 15 countries surveyed classify themselves as smokers.

Slovakia has the most cigarette smokers, with half of all respondents smoking regularly, followed by Bulgaria (47 per cent) and Russia (41 per cent).

Singapore (13 per cent) has the lowest numbers of smokers across all countries surveyed.

While smoking in public spaces is becoming socially unacceptable in many places across the world, some unique marketing opportunities targeting smoker's needs are also emerging.

Respondents in Slovakia (52 per cent), Taiwan (28 per cent) and Korea (20 per cent) are most likely to be the first customers of any smoking-friendly airline, while passengers from Italy (6 per cent), Singapore (8 per cent) and the UAE (9 per cent) would prove harder to recruit. Trade Arabia News Service