Irish people smoking less

Irish people are smoking less and younger adults are not buying cigarettes as frequently as their parents.

Research has shown that the average smoker reduced their intake by two cigarettes a day in 2010 compared to the previous 12 months.

The smokers’ survey, conducted by the Revenue Commissioners, showed those under the age of 25 who do smoke are more likely to stub out less than 10 times a day.

By contrast, the majority of older people smoke 11 or more cigarettes every 24 hours.

When the research was carried out in 2008, Irish smokers were lighting up 17.74 times a day.

This fell slightly when the same survey was done, with a bigger sample, in 2009.

And by 2010, the average daily rate had dropped to 15.47.

Face-to-face interviews showed that 29% of Irish smokers paid more than €8.51 per packet, this was before the most recent duty increase imposed by Finance Minister Michael Noonan late last year.

The 2008 survey also showed that when people did put their hand in their pocket to buy a packet, on average they forked out more than €28 to feed their habit for a few days.

One third of Irish people bought packets two or three times a week.

The Revenue Commissioners believe its own studies, coupled with similar research, support the view that the habit is slowly dying out.

It said statisticians would have to revise the way they estimate overall cigarette use in Ireland to reflect the declining trend in average consumption per smoker.

“Data from the Office of Tobacco Control [OTC] prevalence tracker suggests that smoking prevalence rates have declined in recent years,” it said.

“In addition, results from this current wave of illegal cigarettes research and from the OTC smoking prevalence tracker indicate that smokers are smoking fewer cigarettes than before.”

Last week a Eurobarometer survey supported these figures. It said Irish smokers smoke 15.7 cigarettes every day, down from 2009.

It said two thirds of Irish people had tried to quit.

According to the Revenue survey Irish men were still smoking more than women by an average of 1.5 cigarettes a day.

The proportion of male heavy smokers (who consumed 21 or more a day) was far greater than women — at 13% compared with 5%.

However, the bad habits appeared to be phasing out among the younger generation.

Those aged between 18-24 had smoked five less a day (12.39) than those who were between 45 and 54.

However, between 2009 and 2010, it was the heavy smokers who showed the most willingness to cut back.

In 2009, 15% had more than 21 a day but this dropped to 9% in 2010.

A similar survey, done in 2008 for the Revenue Commissioners, showed that 59% of Irish smokers bought a packet at least once a day. And less than 10% purchased them once a week or less.

These results showed that men were more likely to get a packet more regularly than women.

The Revenue Commissioners were told by its research company that the pattern of behaviour was changing.

“The market is changing and perhaps the prevalence rates and assumptions that we have been using need to be reviewed,” it said.