Cost was one of the most cited motives to quit by 1 in 4 UK smokers, a five-year analysis of survey data spanning the years of the pandemic reveals.
The cost of a ciggie appears to be a strong motivation for quitting smoking for many English smokers, alongside current future health concerns and existing health problems.
An analysis of survey data between 2018 to 2023 published by University College London (UCL) in leadings journal BMJ Public Health revealed that, aside from health concerns, many smokers choose to quit to realise savings from the expense of smoking.
Seeking to understand how the global pandemic and national cost-of-living and healthcare crisis changed the way people felt about their smoking habit, the study revealed that while current and future health issues remain the primary reason to stop smoking for most smokers, cost has become another significant reason to quit.
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Currently in England, the average price of a 20-cigarette pack is about £14 (AUD$27). Similar to Australia, England’s cigarette tax laws increase tobacco prices annually, with a 20s pack projected to £16 (AUD$30) by 2026.
Future health concerns
The analysis revealed that 1 in 2 of the nearly 6,000 smokers surveyed had attempted to quit smoking due to future health concerns. About 1 in 5 smokers have also tried to quit smoking motivated by an existing health condition.
During the global pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the study’s data revealed that many smokers had an increased motivation to quit for future health concerns. However, the study notes that health-related attempts to stop smoking dropped to pre-pandemic levels right after the pandemic had passed.
Rising costs of living and healthcare
UCL researchers note that the pandemic has also led to thousands of lay-offs and reduced income – another factor for many smokers to state cigarette prices and living costs as being part of the problem.
More than 1 in 4 smokers identified the current and future costs of cigarettes as a reason to quit in 2022, a huge leap from the 1 in 5 who cited the same reason in 2019.
According to Dr Sarah Jackson from UCL, “If you smoke, you can reduce your outgoings by switching to e-cigarettes. This might be a helpful message in any future government campaign to get more people to stop smoking.
In England, the most affordable e-cigarette or vape costs £6 (AUD$11). The study has shown that an average English smoker spends about £20 (AUD$40) for a pack each week while a vape user only spends about £6.30 (AUD$13).
“Communicating the potential savings people can make by stopping smoking (even if they switch to alternative nicotine products) could therefore be an effective means for motivating attempts to quit,” adds the researcher.
The state of UK smoking laws
The report arrives alongside the recent changes in UK smoking laws. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill bans anyone born after 1 January 2009 from buying or using tobacco and makes vapes exclusive for motivated adult smokers looking to quit.
The Bill would make it an offence anywhere in the UK to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 to create a ‘smokefree generation’ by stopping the younger generations from getting addicted to tobacco products.