A new study - designed to understand why people smoke and help develop more effective quitting programmes for smokers - has revealed that only half of smokers say enjoyment and coping with stress were reasons why they smoke. The new Cancer Research UK study is published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research* today (Wednesday).
More than 2,100 smokers from across England were asked to choose the important reasons that kept them smoking.
Although enjoyment and stress relief were the two most commonly reported reasons there were differences among different groups of smokers.
Women were more likely to say they smoked for stress relief and were twice as likely as men to say they smoked to help control their weight. Men were more likely to report enjoyment and liking being a smoker.
Older smokers reported enjoying smoking for pleasure and liked being a smoker more than younger smokers, but were less likely to report socialising and stress relief as important motives.
Smokers who reported enjoying smoking and liking being a smoker were also less likely to have tried to quit in the past.