Contrary to ASH’s claim that one million smokers have quit since the pandemic hit Britain, a new survey suggests that Covid has ‘fuelled Britain’s nicotine habit’ with many people smoking more.
According to research by the consumer research group Mintel, reported today by the Press Association:
The stress of Covid-19 has fuelled Britain’s nicotine habit, with more than half of smokers “stress-smoking” more, and 10% lighting up again after quitting, a survey suggests.
Young people in particular are taking refuge in the habit, with 39% of smokers aged 18-34 saying they are now smoking more regularly, analysts Mintel reported.
Meanwhile, a further 10% of all smokers have started smoking again after quitting. Overall, 30% of smokers are smoking more regularly since the start of the pandemic.
Interestingly, ASH finally seem to be backtracking on their claim that a million people have stopped smoking since the Covid pandemic hit Britain:
Responding to the Mintel survey, director of policy Hazel Cheeseman said:
“A million smokers were galvanised to quit during the first lockdown, but as this research shows, some will have relapsed and those who didn’t stop may now be smoking more.”
Note that she is not saying “one million smokers quit” but a million smokers “were galvanised to quit” which is quite different.
Note too the emphasis on smokers quitting “during the first lockdown” which reflects the careful wording of the Sunday Mirror’s ‘exclusive’ report at the weekend that I wrote about here.
Headlined ‘Million Brits quit smoking during pandemic due to fears over Covid and no fag breaks’, I subsequently discovered that the ‘exclusive’ tag was based on ‘new’ research - completed in February - conducted by University College London in collaboration with ASH but barely mentioned in the report.
Instead of using the ‘new figures’ supplied by ASH, the paper chose instead to recycle a headline figure that was almost a year old and was probably as untrue then as it is now. Great work!
There is of course a difference between the number of people who smoke and the consumption levels of those who continue to smoke.
It would not surprise me therefore if, overall, the number of people who smoke has fallen during the pandemic (if only in line with historic trends) whilst current smokers are lighting up more.
What is clear however is that for all their bluster, even ASH doesn’t believe that one million smokers have quit during the pandemic, and they probably never did.
Needless to say, while the Mintel report is getting a lot of coverage on local newspaper websites (almost 300 at the latest count), it has been almost completely ignored by the national media with the exception of the Independent and the ITV News website.
The source of these reports is the PA which updated its initial story to include comments from ASH and Forest. My (edited) quote reads:
“Stress has always been a major reason why some people smoke. At difficult times smoking and vaping can be a comfort so it would be no surprise if nicotine use has increased as a result of Covid."
The bit that wasn’t used read:
“Policies designed to force smokers to quit after the pandemic would almost certainly backfire because people have had enough of being bossed around.
“Adults know the risks. If they choose to smoke, for whatever reason, that is a matter for them not the government."
That was in response to a comment by Roshida Khanom, category director of Mintel Beauty and Personal Care, who said:
“While the easing of lockdown restrictions will tackle loneliness and boredom, two factors that have boosted smoking rates, it will take more [my emphasis] to reverse the habits developed during the prolonged periods of lockdown.”
More? What does she mean by that?
If that’s not an invitation, intentional or otherwise, for government intervention I don’t know what is.
With a new tobacco control plan fast approaching, officials at the Department of Health must be licking their lips.
PS. Quoting another survey, a report in Greece yesterday claimed that:
The pandemic led 27.2% of smokers to smoke more while 7% said that they had picked up the habit again after having quit in the pre-Covid era, according to a nationwide survey conducted by the Marc polling company in March 2021.
The survey also showed that the highest rates of increased smoking was observed among the self-employed and the unemployed.
Reports from America also suggest the pandemic ‘has made it tougher to quit smoking’:
The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a substantial drop-off in the number of people seeking to quit smoking, new data suggests. And cigarettes sales have essentially flatlined in 2020 after years of steady declines.
No wonder ASH is reversing its position faster than a ferret up a drainpipe. The latest ONS figures can’t come quick enough!