Social Exclusion and Smoking among British Families

Alan Marsh

Policy Studies Institute

Poverty and ‘markers for disadvantage’

leaving school early, adding no further qualifications or skills;

being a tenant, especially a social tenant, income-tested benefits in and out of work; being unemployed, often for long or repeated

spells; doing low-aid manual work, or, more often

nowadays, the most routine service jobs; being single, Being a lone parent, being ill - not necessarily disabled - being often ill

is enough.

Recent trends in social exclusion

• Large increases in inequality in income and wealth

• Large increase in lone parenthood (7-26%)• Tripling of child poverty (5/10% - to - 30/35%)

though lately abated to 20/25%• Slower intergenerational social mobility• Greater residential segmentation

Family status and smoking

• Percent who smoke

Lone parents

Low-income mothers in couples

Low-income fathers in couples

All mothers in couples

Population

52 35 45 24 24

Housing tenure and smoking

• Percent who smoke

Lone Parents Low-income mothers in

couples

All mothers in couples

Home-owners 33 33 21

Social tenants 61 62 58

Private tenants 59 59 50

Other accommodation 46 50 37

Education and smoking

• Percent who smoke

Left school at......

Lone Parents Low-income mothers in

couples

All mothers in couples

15 57 61 47

16 59 58 41

17-18 47 41 21

19 or older 28 33 12

Employment status and smoking

• Percent who smoke

Employment status

Lone Parents Low-income mothers in

couples

All mothers in couples

Out of work 60 44 43

Low-income worker 47 36 36

Moderate income worker 37 .... 20

High income worker 20 .... 20

Smoking and hardship

• Percent in severe hardship

Smoking status

Lone Parents Low-income mothers in

couples

All mothers in couples

Smokers 23 33 2

Non-smokers 14 19 7

Quitting: starting positionsPercent who

smoked

Percent among

smokers not smoking 5 years later

Tenure: Homeowner

Social tenant

Private & other

29

60

53

23

14

14

Work/benefit status: Out of work and claiming IS/JSA

In work, not claiming IS/JSA

61

38

13

19

Hardship: No hardship in 1999

In moderate hardship (1-2 points on scale)

In severe hardship (3 or more points)

33

49

63

21

16

11

Education: Left school at 16 or younger 53 15

Left at 17 or 18 33 22

Left school/college at 19 plus 26 24

Partnership status: Mother in low-income couple 36 18

All lone parents 55 15

Changes in hardship and changes in smoking

Percent of 1999 low-income smokers who were not smoking in 2003..........

Not in hardship in 2003

In moderate hardship in 2003

In severe hardship in 2003

Not in hardship in 1999

22 20 (..)

In moderate hardship in 1999

18 14 21

In severe hardship in 1999

17 9 9

Unweighted bases

214 216 93

56 178 148

6 39 76

Holding starting positions constant, what factors independently influenced low-income mothers

to quit or continue smoking after 5 years?

• Positive predictors:• Better educated• Male lone parent• Being a female lone parent and choosing a non-smoker

as her new partner....

• Negative predictors:• Lone parent, especially if injured by last partner• Starting and/or remaining in severe hardship• Becoming a new lone parent• Having a new baby