Demographics of cigarette smoking

When I posted about the Great American Smokeout in a recent year, someone pointed out, as I had mentioned, that cigarette smoking is on the decline.

I want to look at the demographics of cigarette smoking. Check out this CDC report.

28.1% of adults who regularly had feelings of severe psychological distress were smokers, compared with 10.9% without such feelings. Is there a causal connection? I don’t know.

18.5% of adults with a disability smoke, compared with 10.9% of adults without a disability (10.9%). Did smoking aggravate the disability? IDK that either. 

Current cigarette smoking was highest among persons who were divorced/separated or widowed (16.8%) and lowest among those who were married or living with a partner (10.4%).

Money

But I was most intrigued by this:

Current cigarette smoking was higher among people with a lower annual household income than those with higher annual household incomes.

• About 18 of every 100 adults with low income (18.3%)
• About 12 of every 100 adults with middle income (12.3%)
• Nearly 7 of every 100 adults with high income (6.7%)

This tracks why I see more people at the bus stop smoking cigarettes. I love public transportation, but let’s face it: more people who use it regularly tend to have a lower economic profile than the general public.

I was particularly taken aback when waiting for a bus to go downtown last month. There was a guy who was looking on the ground finding cigarette butts that had only been partially smoked to pick up to use at a later date. It was so disturbing that I almost wanted to walk to the corner store and buy him a pack.

I haven’t bought a pack of cigarettes for decades. It was usually for my father – his brand was Winstons – who was a smoker for many years before he got emphysema. He stopped, got better, and then started smoking again. Admittedly, I was really ticked off.

Eventually, he stopped again and stayed that way for the last 30 years of his life. I keep reminding people of the Great American Smoke Out because I’ve had several people who have died from smoking, most notably my grandma Agatha Green, at age 62.

Frequently, I hear people suggesting that poor people should give up a bad habit because it’s so expensive. I have not bought into this mindset. Being poor is HARD.

Still, the folks at the Great American Smokeout have strategies to encourage folks to give up the coffin nails.  

Author: Roger

I'm a librarian. I hear music, even when it's not being played. I used to work at a comic book store, and it still informs my life. I won once on JEOPARDY! - ditto. View all posts by Roger