ICICI Lombard, the largest private general insurer in the country, commissioned a survey on World Tobacco Day to assess the smoking patterns and behaviour of young smokers compared to their older counterparts. The survey was taken online by 1,000 respondents across four metros in the form of a structured questionnaire.
The younger age group was made up of smokers between 20-35 years of age, while the older age group consisted of individuals in the age group of 35-50 years. The survey revealed that the younger lot smoked more: 7 cigarettes a day, compared to 5-a-day for the older group on an average. Another interesting find was that 43% respondents under 35 years were more vocal and accepting of their smoking habit, while only 27% of the older age group were open about their smoking habit.
As was expected, the younger demographic in the survey were more revealing of their smoking habit on social media. The older lot was quite clear on the fact that smoking was a personal affair with 53% respondents saying so, with 23% of the view that this habit should not be displayed on social media.
Whether young or old, the emotional mind-set of a person was still the key factor behind an individual taking up smoking. 35-50 year age group cited work pressure for the addiction, whereas the younger generation smoked up to relieve everyday stress. It seems that landing a job is not good for your health, as 37% of total respondents started smoking more after getting employed.
On the contrary, the respondents also named factors such as deteriorating health, getting married and becoming a parent as some of the major factors for kicking the habit.
*Source: The Times of India
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