Smoking habits, 2012

The proportion of daily smokers has been decreasing for many years. Since the turn of the millennium, the proportion has nearly halved, resulting in only 16 per cent of 16-74 year-olds smoking daily. The corresponding proportion for the youngest group - 16-24 year-olds -  is now only a quarter of the level in 2000. The second youngest group has shown a marked decrease in recent years and now has the second lowest proportion of daily smokers. During the whole period, the 45-55 year-olds have been the heaviest smokers.

The proportion of people smoking occasionally has been much more stable, varying between 9 and 11 per cent in the last 15 years. In 2012, 10 per cent of people aged 16-74 years and 13 per cent in the youngest age group were occasional smokers.

Many occasional smokers use snuff

The use of snuff since 2008 seems to be increasing slightly. In 2008, six per cent of respondents used snuff on a daily basis, compared with nine per cent in 2012. Four per cent reported using snuff occasionally in both 2008 and 2012.

Snuff use among daily smokers is quite similar to the adult population as a whole. The main difference is that somewhat fewer use snuff on a daily basis, while more are occasional users. However, snuff use is rather common among occasional smokers. One in five use snuff daily and eight per cent occasionally. One explanation could be that use of snuff replaces some of the urge for smoking.