Secret smokers: nearly half of smokers hide their habits

• The top three groups that secret smokers lie to are medical professionals, their parents and their partners
• 37 per cent of smokers and vapers admit their habits increased during lockdown, while 14 per cent actually started smoking during this time
• GPs estimate that over a quarter of their patient’s smoke, with nearly half of these lying about it
• But GPs urge patients to be honest about their smoking or vaping habits in order to be given the right course of treatment

New research¹ from Direct Line Life Insurance reveals half (49 per cent) of people who currently smoke or vape actively hide their habits from others. While official sources² show nearly seven million people across Britain count themselves as smokers, this research means the real number could be as high as 13.4 million when accounting for casual smokers³.

Despite the obvious challenges of hiding habits from people they live with, one in seven current or previous smokers (15 per cent) admit that they’ve lied about smoking or vaping to their spouse or partner, while similar numbers  have hidden it from their children. One in five (19 per cent) kept their habit a secret from their parents, suggesting that even adults feel they are misbehaving when it comes to smoking. Interestingly, GPs and medical professionals are the people smokers and vapers most commonly misrepresent how much they smoke or vape to, with one in five patients (19 per cent) admitting to doing this.

Although good health is more of a priority than ever before due to the threat of coronavirus, lockdown has seen a rise in smoking and vaping habits among many people, with 12.6 million having smoked or vaped since 23^rd March. One in 14 (seven per cent) actually started smoking in lockdown, rising to nine per cent of men and falling to five per cent of women and meaning nearly one million people across the country picked up the habit. Two fifths (37 per cent) of smokers and vapers report their habits increasing during lockdown, with 11 million people (11 per cent) admitting their habits increased substantially.

The impact of lockdown forcing everyone to stay at home meant secret smokers had to go to even greater lengths to continue hiding their habits from others. On average, current smokers and vapers get through 14 cigarettes a day, which equates to more than 4,900 over the course of a year. Furthermore, a quarter (24 per cent) confess to smoking more than 20 every day, a significant number to hide from others. The most common methods for concealing smoking or vaping habits during lockdown were going out for frequent walks (22 per cent), going out for drives (13 per cent) and waiting until family members were in bed. One in four (25 per cent) however, came clean.

Those who have lied or misrepresented their habits to medical professionals say they have done so to avoid feeling judged (32 per cent) or feeling embarrassed about how much they smoke (28 per cent). For others it is due to concerns over a diagnosis, either worrying that the doctor would attribute the problem they have to smoking (27 per cent) or even that they wouldn’t be treated as comprehensively (18 per cent). 

Table one: Reasons for lying to medical professionals