Smoking figures continue to fall, opening up opportunities for vapes
MORE than half of the current smokers in the UK are projected to quit in the following 12 months, according to a new survey from the Office for National Statistics.
In the report, some 56% of UK smokers have said they intend to give up smoking in the next 12 months, while 24% said they aimed to stop within the next three months.
Among those who said they intend to quit within the next three months, 46% said they waited more than an hour before they had their first cigarette as well.
The report also found that overall smoking rates fell between 2023 and 2024 – from 10.5% down to 9.1% – to hit the lowest proportion of smokers in the UK since records began.
The falling smoking rates across the UK reflect a significant change in smoker habits across the country, says vaping brand and manufacturer, IVG.
Jacqueline Hoctor, commercial director at IVG, said: “These figures show a high level of intent to quit among smokers. The personal and societal impact of smoking is well recognised, and seeing so many reporting plans to make a change is encouraging.”
With this in mind, there is an ample opportunity to help shoppers to quit smoking for retailers and push them towards other nicotine product options such as vapes or nicotine pouches to help throughout the cessation process.
Hoctor said: “The fact that more smokers are planning to quit or delaying their first cigarette of the day highlights a growing motivation to change.
“This behaviour aligns with data that shows that vaping has overtaken traditional tobacco for the first time.”
