Was smoking in the sixties encouraged?

Answer 1

Smoking was still extremely popular in the sixties. In the sixties nearly 70% of men and around 40% of women smoked. The most popular brand in the UK was "Embassy Filter".

In our survey most men smoked, but not all and less than half of the women. Woodbines were considered the cheapest cigarettes and Peter Stuyvesant was an up-market brand. Some men smoked pipes or cigars.

The risks of smoking were well known by the end of the sixties, but most people preferred not to think about them. The tobacco industry kept the habit alive by a campaign of confusing and contradictory information.