Abstract
MORE than 1,600 Finnish secondary school pupils between the ages of 12 and 16 completed a question naire about their image of the smoking and non- smoking adolescent. A smoker was described as nervous, unfriendly, untidy, stupid and a low achiever in sport and academic work, but despite this, was seen as a leader. Non-smokers were seen as calm, strong, fairly modest, friendly, tidy and smart, but not as leaders. Older pupils saw the smoker in a more positive light. Those who smoked saw the non- smoker image as positive, and rated the smoking image more highly than did non smokers.