As Nova Scotia moves to tighten cellphone rules in classrooms, a new survey finds a majority of people agree with it.

Polling by Narrative Research found that 89 per cent of Nova Scotians support a cellphone ban in classrooms.

That is slightly higher than the Atlantic Canadian average of 86 per cent, according to the survey.

When asked why, the prevailing reason is to remove a distraction in the learning environment, followed by mentions that a ban would encourage students to focus on their studies.

Other reasons cited include that cellphones serve no purpose in classrooms or that they are overused and an addiction risk.

Among the seven per cent who oppose a ban, the most common reasons are that cellphones are useful in case of emergencies, that only usage abuse should be penalized instead of a blanket ban and that cellphones are great educational or research tools.

Results are from an online survey conducted between Aug. 8 and 21. As a non-probability sample, a margin of error is not applied.

Tighter rules surrounding cellphone use in Nova Scotia schools will take effect next week.

Students between kindergarten and Grade 6 will have to keep their phones turned off and stored out of sight for the whole school day.

Grade 7 to 12 students must have their phones turned off during class time. Schools will decide if they can use phones for their lessons or outside of class, in the halls or at lunch time.

If students do not follow the new rules, they could have their phones confiscated by principals.