To find the ratio of the number of blue chairs to the total number of chairs, we first need to calculate the total number of chairs.
The total number of chairs is the sum of the red chairs and the blue chairs:
\[ 32 \text{ (red chairs)} + 48 \text{ (blue chairs)} = 80 \text{ (total chairs)} \]
Now, we can set up the ratio of the number of blue chairs to the total number of chairs:
\[ \text{Number of blue chairs} : \text{Total number of chairs} = 48 : 80 \]
To simplify this ratio, we need to find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 48 and 80. The GCD of 48 and 80 is 16.
Now we can divide both numbers in the ratio by their GCD:
\[ \frac{48}{16} : \frac{80}{16} = 3 : 5 \]
Thus, the ratio of the number of blue chairs to the total number of chairs is:
\[ \boxed{3:5} \]