74% of younger smokers switch to cheap brands

Almost three in four younger smokers have switched to cheap brands of cigarettes used by tobacco companies to discourage them from quitting, according to an opinion poll conducted for the Irish Cancer Society and Irish Heart Foundation.

While two thirds of smokers of all ages now choose brands based on price, that rate has risen to 74% among 18- to 24-year-olds, the countrywide poll of 1,000 adults shows.

The Irish Heart Foundation and Irish Cancer Society are proposing tax measures in their pre-budget submissions that would close the price gap between premium and cheap brands which range between €8 and €9.85.