Fewer Dutch people smoke, but there is a big difference between the highly educated and the lower educated
Fewer and fewer people smoke, but the differences in smoking behavior between people with different levels of education are increasing. While the share of smokers among the highly educated has almost halved since 1989, this has fallen less sharply among the lower educated. Low-educated people also smoke more often on a daily basis and are more often heavy smokers than highly educated people.
This is evident from the latest figures from the CBS Health Survey/Lifestyle Monitor, in collaboration with RIVM and the Trimbos Institute.
The proportion of people aged 25 or older who say they smoke has been declining for decades. It decreased from 38 percent in 1989 to 24 percent in 2016. However, this decline is not the same everywhere. Smoking behavior is partly related to education. There are fewer smokers among the highly educated than among the lower educated. Around 1990, 38 percent of the low-educated, 40 percent of the intermediate-educated and 34 percent of the highly-educated smoked. A quarter of a century later, 28 percent of the low, 26 percent of the intermediate and 18 percent of the highly educated still smoked. The share of smokers has therefore fallen more sharply among the highly educated than among those with a low and intermediate level of education. The difference in the share of smokers between the highly educated on the one hand and the medium and low educated on the other hand has increased over the years.
Half of highly educated people have never smoked
In 2016, the proportion of smokers ranged from 31 percent of people with the lowest level of education (at most primary education) to 13 percent of people with a university education. More than a third of the over-25s smoked in the past, but have since stopped. This share of ex-smokers hardly differs per education level. The percentage of people who have never smoked, on the other hand, differs according to the different educational levels: more than half of the highly educated (university) have never smoked, compared to more than a third of the lower educated.
Low-educated people are heavy smokers
Low-educated people not only smoke more often than highly-educated people, they are also the heaviest smokers on average. The vast majority of low-educated smokers smoke daily (87 percent). This is less than half of smokers with a university education. Heavy smoking (at least 20 cigarettes a day) is also more common among the lower educated. Seven percent of the lowest educated are heavy smokers, while heavy smoking hardly occurs among the highest educated.
It has almost always been the case that people living in poverty generally smoke and drink more in order not to feel hungry… Now that more Dutch people are better educated and usually receive more money, smoking there is also declining… Although this group still looks nice in a glass…
doesn't everyone just have the right to smoke highly educated or less educated
the anti-smokers discriminate and think they are always in their right but benefit from the many taxes paid by the smokers
I don't smoke, have never smoked, but I do have a sober opinion
most smokers who have quit after many years do not have that .