Gender Differences in Cigarette Smoking: the Relationship between Social Perceptions of Cigarette Smokers and Smoking Prevalence

Gender Differences in Cigarette Smoking: the Relationship between Social Perceptions of Cigarette Smokers and Smoking Prevalence Juhee Woo, M.S., Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota, 2012 This research is a descriptive study of gender differences in cigarette smoking. By comparing U.S college students with Korean college students, the researcher seeks to examine if there is a relationship between the extent of gender difference in social perceptions of cigarette smokers and the extent of gender difference in smoking prevalence. Results show that female smokers are more negatively evaluated than male smokers in both countries but the gender differences are greater in the Korean sample than the U.S sample. Likewise, the gender differences in smoking prevalence are greater in the Korean sample than the U.S sample. Consequently, this study finds a relationship between the extent of gender difference in social perceptions of cigarette smokers and the extent of gender difference in smoking prevalence.