The latest data on smoking in the UK has been released, revealing that youth smoking is at an all-time low in the UK, although numbers do remain high in some regions.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has recently released the latest in their annual statistical bulletin on smoking ‘Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2023’ and it has revealed a significant drop in smoking prevalence among those aged 18 – 24, which correlates to an increase in the popularity of vaping as an alternative to smoking.
Smoking prevalence in 18 – 24 year olds drops to 9.8%
Every year the ONS release the statistics on smoking habits in UK adults, which includes analysis of the different age groups, how these statistics have changed over time, and also looks at the use of e-cigarettes.
The data is collected through the Annual Population Survey (APS) and first started recording smoking prevalence in 2011. The APS is the official measure of smoking prevalence in England, and is how the Government monitor their smokefree 2030 ambitions, when they hope to see prevalence drop to 5% or lower.
The 2023 bulletin revealed that the percentage of smokers aged 18 – 24 has seen a massive reduction in recent years, dropping from 25.7% in 2011 down to just 9.8% in 2023. Since 2011 smoking prevalence has continued to decrease, but this 15.9% drop is the most significant reduction among any age group, and is also the group with the highest reported percentage of e-cigarette use.
The ONS data indicates that over 4.3 million adults in the UK are current vapers. Among these, the vast majority are either current or former smokers using vapes to remain smoke-free. Only about 121,000 people, or 2.8% of vapers, have never smoked, reinforcing that vaping is largely being used as a harm reduction tool for smokers, rather than attracting non-smokers.
Smoking prevalence in 11– 15 year olds remains at 1%
New data released by the NHS has revealed smoking rates among school aged children has remained at 1% since 2021 for those who classed themselves as regular smokers, down from 2% in 2018, and 3% in 2016 . Occasional smokers remain at 2%.
Social influences on youth smoking
The social environment plays a critical role in shaping smoking behaviours among young people. The data reveals that young people are significantly more likely to smoke if they are surrounded by friends and family who also smoke:
·86% of current smokers reported having friends who smoke, while only 25% of non-smokers had friends who smoked.
·Among family influences, 60% of current smokers had at least one family member who smokes, compared to 54% of non-smokers.
These findings underline the importance of tackling smoking within households and social circles to prevent young people from picking up the habit.
Where are young people getting cigarettes?
The way young people access cigarettes also provides important insights. Despite efforts to limit the sale of tobacco products to minors, many young smokers still report obtaining cigarettes from social sources or small retailers:
·59% of regular smokers reported that they got their cigarettes from friends or family, with peers being the most common source.
·33% of young smokers purchase cigarettes from shops, including newsagents, tobacconists, and sweet shops.
Convenience stores have also been identified as a leading source of underage sales, particularly of vaping products. This highlights the need for stricter enforcement of age verification processes and heavier penalties for retailers who flout the law.
Regional disparities amongst 11-15 year olds
While the overall trend is positive, the situation varies considerably from region to region. Data from the 2023 survey shows that certain areas of England are still struggling with high youth smoking rates.
The East of England, South East and South West report the highest levels of youth smoking, with 5% of young people in these regions identifying as regular smokers. In stark contrast, the North West and East Midlands report much lower rates, with only 1% of young people smoking regularly.
Vaping is a key factor in the decline of smoking
It has become apparent that the increase popularity of vaping products, which are now the most popular smoking cessation tool used in Britain, have played a crucial role in aiding with the decreasing prevalence of smoking.
The data indicates that over 4.3 million adults in the UK currently use a vape, a number that is growing year on year. Of these vapers, the vast majority are either current or former smokers, who are using a vape to help them remain smoke-free or to help them cut down their cigarette consumption.
There are currently an estimated 6 million adult smokers in the UK (11.9%), and it is clear that vaping has a vital role to play if we want to see this number continuing to decrease, especially if the Government are to come close to reaching their proposed 2030 smokefree target. Thankfully, initiatives like the swap to stop scheme, which is providing 1 million smokers with a free starter vape kit and stop smoking support, are capitalising on this opportunity to improve public health.
Vaping among never-smokers remains low
Another interesting statistic to come out of the ONS data is that the number of current vapers who were never smokers remains low, at only 121,000 people or 2.8% of vapers. This further demonstrates that vaping is being largely utilised as a harm reduction tool for smokers, and is not attracting non-smokers to start using nicotine.
Although another recent study suggested higher estimates of the number of vapers who were non-smokers, at around 1,006,000, it should be noted that the parameters they used to define ‘never-smokers’ were broader and did not account for those who did not consider themselves regular smokers but may have instead been social smokers or those who experimented with smoking.
Ultimately though, both datasets show that the vast majority of vapers come from a background of smoking, and are using e-cigarettes for their intended purpose as a smoking cessation tool.
What do these statistics mean for the future?
The continued decrease in smoking prevalence is a welcome and significant trend that currently shows no indication of slowing down. However, the real question lays in how proposed new legislations and restrictions on vaping products could hinder this in future.
There is a huge push from public health advocates for the introduction of new laws to create a smoke-free generation, which would increase the age of sale for tobacco products by one year every year to create a generation of young people who have never legally had access to cigarettes. While the reasoning behind this is admirable, it should be recognised that vaping has already played a crucial role in driving down smoking rates, especially among young adults.
Although in an ideal world these young adults would avoid using nicotine altogether, experts argue that the switch from smoking to vaping is a significant step towards harm reduction. Should the proposed new laws around vaping products, which include a possible ban on disposable vapes and restrictions on flavours, render vaping less accessible, enjoyable, or effective for current vapers and smokers this could have a significant impact on smoking rates.
Other avenues which the government have agreed to consider, like a vape licensing scheme similar to an alcohol license, could take a much more balanced approach to protecting young people against the harms of tobacco and nicotine while still ensuring that adult smokers and vapers have access to effective products to use for smoking cessation.
Weighing in on the findings, Andrej Kuttruf, CEO of Evapo, said:
“The official ONS statistics show that vaping, which the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has said is 95% less harmful than smoking, has been a main contributor to the more than halving of youth smoking, while also helping nearly a fifth of former smokers quit smoking. The ONS has also said that only 2.8% of vapers had never smoked before, further showing how important vaping products are to help smokers quit and how few non-smokers actually vape. We support the government’s recent decision to ‘actively consider’ a common-sense, self-supporting vaping licensing scheme, which we believe will help smokers quit, support the NHS, stop the criminals, and protect the children from potentially illegal and harmful vaping products.”