Australia’s Smokers Defy Stereotypes: Majority Employed, Educated

Quit-smoking material must step up to better reflect Australia’s 2.5 million daily smokers because, contrary to common belief, they’re not all unemployed or less educated, according to new research. A first-of-its-kind national study, “Who Smokes In Australia?” published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Feb. 18, shatters the stereotype of smokers as mainly disadvantaged, Indigenous, or with poor mental health, revealing the widespread impact of smoking across the entire community. While smoking rates may be higher among disadvantaged groups, around 70 percent of daily smokers are employed, roughly 76 percent are in good physical and mental health, with over two-thirds having completed year 12....