The proportion of English adults who smoke cigarettes but don't smoke every day has increased over the past 20 years, while the proportion that are motivated to quit smoking has fallen, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.
For the study, published in BMC Medicine, the research team investigated cigarette consumption among 353,711 adults - 66,792 of whom were current smokers - with an average age of 49 years using survey data collected in England between 2006 and 2024.
They found that over this period the prevalence of cigarette smoking decreased from 24.6% to 13.7% and that the proportion of smokers who didn't smoke every day increased from 11.0% to 27.2%.
This increase was particularly pronounced among younger adults and those who also vaped, with the proportion of smokers who didn't smoke every day increasing from 15.6% to 52.8% among 18-year-olds and from 8.6% to 34.2% among those who vaped.
Although the average number of cigarettes smoked per week by non-daily smokers decreased from 34.3 between 2006 to 2009 to 21.1 between 2021 to 2024, the motivation of non-daily smokers to stop smoking entirely also decreased during this time.
Between 2006 to 2009 and 2021 to 2024, the proportion of non-daily smokers highly motivated to quit within the next three months decreased from 30.8% to 21.0%.
Lead author Dr Sarah Jackson (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care) said: "Cigarette smoking is incredibly harmful, even for people who don't smoke every day. Non-daily smokers represent a substantial and growing proportion of smokers, but they often underestimate the harms of their smoking and appear to be decreasingly motivated to quit.
"It can be very difficult to quit smoking, and non-daily smoking is no exception, but a range of effective forms of support are available to boost people's chances of success. Public health campaigns are needed to raise awareness of the harms of non-daily smoking and encourage all smokers to try to quit using the most effective methods."
The authors suggest that increases in non-daily smoking could be a reaction to increases in the costs of cigarettes and tobacco, which may cause younger adults with lower disposable incomes to purchase and smoke these products less frequently.
The increasing popularity of vaping may also enable smokers to extend periods between cigarettes without experiencing withdrawal symptoms, which could reduce their motivation to quit smoking, especially if they are unclear vaping is less harmful.
The authors conclude that information campaigns may be useful in reminding people of the differences between vaping and smoking, and that vaping can be an effective method to quit smoking altogether.
They also propose that public health messaging aiming to reduce the prevalence of smoking could emphasise the negative health impacts of non-daily smoking.
Cancer Research UK's executive director of policy, Dr Ian Walker, said: "Although it's positive that people are cutting down on the amount of tobacco they smoke, we know that any level of smoking is damaging for your health. That's why we're calling on the UK Government to help everyone access the tools they need to quit smoking for good. Ensuring there is sustainable and sufficient funding for cessation services across the UK is key to this.
"Smoking rates do not fall on their own - they come down with government action. It's vital that the UK Government introduces legislation to raise the age of sale of tobacco products. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will help to build a healthier future, prevent cancer, and protect people from a lifetime of deadly addiction."
