A long-term decline in smoking has stalled since the Covid-19 pandemic as smokers increasingly switch to RYO, researchers have found, reports The Telegraph.
A Cancer Research UK-funded study by University College London (UCL) found that overall cigarette consumption fell by 22 per cent – from 13.6 cigarettes a day to 10.6 – between 2008 and October 2019. However, data from 57,778 adult smokers who took part in the monthly survey between January 2008 and September 2023 showed that the decline paused between the end of 2019 and 2023. The researchers hypothesise that this could be due to more people working from home after the pandemic, leading them to take more regular smoking breaks.
The study, published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, found that the average smoker smoked 14 cigarettes a day in 2008, dropping to 11 cigarettes in 2019 – a figure that has not changed. However, roll-your-own cigarettes have overtaken factory-made cigarettes in popularity: On average, smokers consume 5.7 cigarettes per day, compared to 5.4 for factory-made cigarettes. On average, smokers have consumed 35 per cent more roll-your-own cigarettes and 47 per cent fewer factory-made cigarettes since 2008. The researchers hypothesise that this could be due to the price of tobacco products, which has been driven up by large tax increases.
Dr Sarah Jackson, lead author of the paper and principal research fellow at UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, said: “This 15-year study captures shifts in smoking behaviour, showing that while the average number of cigarettes smoked per day has fallen, this trend has stalled since 2019.
“People are increasingly opting to use cheaper hand-rolled tobacco over more expensive manufactured cigarettes, proving that consistency in taxation and regulation across all cigarette types is key.
“Some groups across England still smoke more heavily than others. It’s vital that smoking cessation services are made easily and equally available across the UK, so that those who want to quit smoking are given all the support they need to do so.”