About a quarter of current smokers say that they are very happy, compared with more than a third of quitters and almost four-in-ten non-smokers, according to a Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey. When asked whether they are satisfied with their family life, smokers are less likely than non-smokers and quitters to say that they are “very satisfied”: About six-in-ten current smokers say they are very satisfied, compared with about seven-in-ten non-smokers and quitters. Smokers’ satisfaction level with their job is also lower than that of non-smokers, and their satisfaction with their standard of living is lower than that of both quitters and non-smokers. Consistent with what decades of public health research shows, smokers also report being in poorer health than non-smokers and quitters. Fewer than half of smokers (45%) say that their health is excellent or very good, compared with 63% of non-smokers and 55% of former smokers. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.