The report, released on Jan. 8, tied the increased number of smokers to the largely increasing smoking rates among developing countries, as opposed to trends among developed countries, such as the U.S.

On a local scale, however, smoking is on the decline. Dennis Martell, Health Education Services Coordinator at Olin Health Center, said since they began tracking cigarette smoking among students in 2000, rates have been on a “significant downward trend.”

Martell attributed this decline to national anti-smoking campaigns.

“Students are recognizing that there are consequences,” he said. “Every time you take smoke into your lungs, you risk damaging them.”

Despite decreasing trends, MSU students still perceive larger rates of colleagues who smoke than there actually are, Martell said.

Philip Milner, an international relations sophomore, estimated the daily smoking rates among students at about 35 to 40 percent.

Christiana Hench, an anthropology sophomore, stated similar rates of 40 percent.

Milner, a non-smoker, said this perception was largely due to his experience walking around campus and seeing people smoking on breaks or on their way to class.

Data from the 2012 National College Health Assessment, or NCHA, indicated that of 48,906 MSU students, roughly 1,907 were daily smokers. This makes up 3.9 percent of the student population.

On the other hand, students’ perception of the percentage of smokers on campus was 13.8 percent, according to the report.

When incoming freshmen are polled about percentages of daily smokers on campus, Martell said he receives estimates of 10 to 50 percent, but the actual rates are much lower.

Furthermore, the study showed 12.7 percent are typically social, infrequent, smokers, while students believed that 68.8 percent were.

“The misconception about smoking is a social thing, like students thinking that everyone on campus is having sex,” Martell said.