UK Edition
Average smoker now down to 10 a day, in wake of smoking ban
The average smoker has cut down to around ten a day, in the wake of the ban on smoking indoors, and the rise in vaping, new research shows.
The study by Cancer Research UK reveals that while the number of smokers has fallen substantially in recent years, the fall in total cigarettes smoked is significantly higher.
While the number of people smoking has fallen by 15 per cent since 2011, the total number of cigarettes smoked has dropped by 24 per cent.
Around 14.7 per cent of UK adults smoke, down from 20.2 per cent in 2011, official figures show.
And the new research shows that the average smoker now has 10.6 cigarettes a day - down from 12.4 a day in 2011.
It comes in the wake of the ban in smoking indoors in 2007, and the ban on billboards and print adverts for years earlier.
In total, 6.3 per cent of adults are current users of e-cigarettes, the figures for 2016 show - up from 3.7 per cent in 2014. And 25 per cent of children aged between 11 and 15 have tried e-cigarettes - a rise from 22 per cent in two years.
Public Health England say vaping is now the most popular and effective way for smokers to quit.
The new study shows that almost one and a half billion fewer cigarettes have been smoked each year since 2011.
The team at University College London (UCL) examined cigarette sales data as well as the monthly self-reported cigarette use from more than 135,000 people.
The study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Researchers said that a decline in cigarette consumption might not translate to the same fall in toxin exposure, as there is evidence that smokers who cut down increase the intensity with which they smoke in order to maintain their customary intake.
But they said cutting down could help cut the risk of some diseases, help pregnant women and might help future efforts to quit entirely.
Cancer Research UK called for funding from tobacco companies for stop smoking services and treatments.