Doggedly searching for the crux of the biscuit.
Good thing they managed to figure this out.
A new study suggests that typical non-smokers' net worth is roughly 50 percent higher than that of light smokers and about twice the level of that of heavy smokers. And that wealth gap grows by about $410, or 4 percent, each year that a person continues to smoke, said Jay Zagorsky, author of the study and a research scientist at Ohio State University's Center for Human Resource Research. Federal statistics on cigarette spending suggest that the wealth reductions are roughly equal to how much smokers spend on their habit.
So they got their grant money, set up the study, crunched the numbers, and figured out that smokers are poorer than non-smokers by roughly the amount that they spend on cigarettes. Who'd have thunk it?
Incidentally, the last pack of cigarettes I bought was in mid-December.
TrackBackCongratulations, that's a real achievment.
"Whatever you do, just don't smoke". - Yul Brynner
Posted by: wal at February 7, 2005 06:39 PMCongratulations! You've passed the worst part (the first couple of weeks and holidays). It will be much better for you and your kids in the long-term.
Posted by: Ru at February 7, 2005 07:03 PMApos, I think you're focusing on the $410 growing disparity per year, yes? But the cost of cigarettes doesn't explain why the net worth of a heavy smoker is half that of a non-smoker. I would tend to think the answer lies in that cigarettes are a comfort item, and people with less money tend to need more comfort.
Posted by: Michael at February 7, 2005 08:34 PMActually, I'd call it pretty amazing that on average smokers are out just the cost of the cigarrettes. What about the gas driving to the store? And the insurance premiums on the car after you drop a lit cigarette in your lap and wreck your car? Oh yeah, and cancer isn't cheap. yep, you're lucky it only cost you $410 a year.
Posted by: bored statistician at February 8, 2005 09:50 AM