Most young people think becoming a smoker is the norm

Worrying new figures from Cancer Research UK reveal that most young adults in England are under the false impression that becoming a smoker is the norm.

Official figures put the proportion of adults who smoke at about a quarter. But results from a survey published today (Wednesday 28 March)* show that the vast majority of 16 to 24 year olds – 83 per cent – think the figure is much higher than this. Sixty per cent believed at least half of all adults in England smoke. And nearly 40 per cent thought the figure was as high as two-thirds or more.

These perceptions are cause for considerable concern. Findings from other areas of research suggest that, if young people believe smoking is prevalent, they are more likely to become a smoker too.

Professor Robert West, director of tobacco studies at Cancer Research UK’s Health Behaviour Unit, said: “These figures reveal a surprising gap between reality and perception. They suggest fewer young people might take up smoking if they realised it’s not as commonplace as they think.

“The reality is that smoking is not in any sense of the word a ‘normal’ or desirable activity. The number of smokers has been falling for decades and the vast majority of people who are smokers want to give up.”

Even if the young people surveyed based their judgements on people their own age, they still grossly over-estimated the proportion of the population who smoke. Smoking prevalence among 16-24 year olds is only slightly higher than the national average.

Over 1,700 adults in England, representing both genders, all ages and all socio-economic groups, took part in the survey.

Overall, nearly three quarters over-estimated the number of people who smoke. Young people and the elderly over-estimated the most.

The gap between perception and reality also varied according to socio-economic group. Of those in the lowest paid occupations or who were unemployed, 80 per cent over-estimated smoking rates compared with 62 per cent in professional and managerial groups.

Jean King, Cancer Research UK’s director of tobacco control, said: “Young people are particularly hard to reach with anti-smoking messages, which makes it worrying that, as a group, they over-estimate the number of smokers the most.

“It’s important that these perceptions are corrected. But this study also highlights the need to more stringently restrict the tobacco industry’s ability to influence this vulnerable group and send subtle messages that smoking is ‘normal’ and ‘cool’.”

ENDS

For media enquiries contact Sophy Fitzpatrick in the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 7 061 8318 or, out-of-hours, the duty press officer on 07050 264 059.