Table 2.

Shows agreement with the main statement and with the pre-set arguments pro et contra this statement

		All physicians:		General Public:
		Proportion agreed (n)	Proportion found this argument most important	Proportion agreed (n)	Proportion found this argument most important
Response to main statement (“It is right, in a case such as this, to make surgery conditional upon smoking cessation four weeks prior to and after surgery”)		83.9% (386)	Not applicable	86.6% (226)	Not applicable
Arguments pro the main claim	Because of risk for complications due to smoking	94.2% (436)	73.4% (246)	93.5% (244)	59.8% (116)
	Because it is in the patient’s own interest to stop smoking altogether	65.9% (302)	4.8% (16)	72.0% (185)	10.3% (20)
	(Respondent’s own argument)	16.2% (75)	0.9% (3)	14.6% (38)	2.1% (4)
Arguments contra the main claim	Because the patient, if well informed, should be allowed to decide for himself	39.4% (181)	8.1% (27)	50% (128)	11.9% (23)
	Because smoking is important to this patient’s life quality	32.5% (150)	7.2% (24)	37.1% (96)	7.7% (15)
	(Respondent’s own argument)	17.8% (82)	4.2% (14)	19.1% (50)	5.7% (11)