§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of smokers who have been recorded by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in each single year during the last 20 years; and what these figures represent as a percentage of the total population during the same period.
§ Mr. WhitneyQuestions about smoking have been asked in the General Household Survey in alternate years since 1972. The following table shows the numbers and percentages of persons who were recorded in the surveys as(a) smoking at all and (b) smoking cigarettes.
(a) Prevalence of smoking: 1972–1984 Persons aged 16 and over Great Britain Current smokers* Base=100 per cent. Percentages Numbers 1972 51 11,536 22,471 1974 52 10,990 21,281 1976 49 11,368 23,409 1978 46 10,258 22,518 1980 †43 9,655 22,500 1982 †39 7,689 19,730 1984 †37 6,738 18,058 * For 1974 and 1976, figures include occasional cigar smokers, that is, those who smoked less that 1 cigar a month. † In 1980 to 1984 males were not asked about pipe-smoking, and therefore the figures for all smokers exclude those who smoked only a pipe.
(b) Prevalence of cigarette smoking 1972–1984 Persons aged 16 and over Great Britain Current cigarette smokers* Base=100 per cent. Percentages Numbers 1972 46 10,495 22,620 1974 45 9,697 21,372 1976 42 9,774 23,482 1978 40 9,116 22,636 1980 39 8,885 22,554 1982 35 7,016 19,840 1984 34 6,206 18,205 * Figures for cigarettes include all smokers of manufactured and hand-rolled cigarettes.