Some things are getting better…

The ONS 2011 Lifestyle Survey, published earlier this month, makes some interesting long-term comparisons with 1971, the year of the first survey. The survey gives the bald facts, and the reader is left to puzzle out the implications and the consequences. What stands out for me is that for children and young people some things have got much better and others have deteriorated markedly. The survey also shows that the divide between affluence and poverty remains as stark as ever. Don’t take my word for it – have a look yourself!

I always look at smoking, about which governments sometimes seem to have contradictory views – while smoking is clearly bad for everyone, should it not be a personal choice? What about the reduction in tax income if people were to give up smoking? The previous government banned smoking in public buildings, and I was delighted to read that the Prime Minister is inching towards introducing plain packaging with gruesome images, as in Australia. He is also reported to be considering banning smoking in cars with children. All this can’t come soon enough.

What does the survey reveal about smoking? The good news is that the prevalence of smoking has reduced from 45 per cent in 1974 to 20 per cent in 2011. That’s a spectacular decrease of more than 15 million people. More parents will live longer and healthier loves, and fewer children will exposed to second-hand smoke and the temptation to take up smoking themselves. This reduction in smoking is the single most effective public health measure – better than anything the NHS is doing through improved treatments.

One problem, as so often, is that smoking is strongly linked to class. In 2011, among the "managerial and professional" group, only 13 per cent smoked, while for those in the "routine and manual" group the figure was more than twice this at 28 per cent. There is no separate data for the unemployed or those in poverty, but I suspect that the figure would be even more skewed.

Nevertheless, even the higher figure of 28 per cent is a marked improvement over 40 years and is worth celebrating as a success of long-term public policy. I hope we see the same improvements over coming years.