8 in 10 British smokers have reduced the number of cigarettes they buy each month as a result of the cost of living crisis, new data has uncovered.

TECC commissioned the nationally representative survey data of 1,000 smokers to see how the current economic climate in the UK is impacting smoking habits.

The data found that 80% of smokers have reduced their cigarette consumption in some way due to the cost of living crisis – with 5% dropping the habit completely.

On average, Brits are smoking 26.5 fewer cigarettes per month due to financial strains – that’s more than a standard full pack.

According to a recent report, the current average cost of a 20-pack of cigarettes is £12.67 (Source: ONS). This means that Brits are saving, on average, £16.79 on the cost of smoking each month.

4 in 10 smokers reported that they have cut down the number of cigarettes they smoke by a “huge amount” to save money, whereas just 15% said that their smoking habits have not changed despite the economic crisis in the UK.

Young people’s smoking habits have unsurprisingly been most heavily impacted, with a huge 95% of 18-24-year-olds confessing that they’ve cut back on cig spending to save.

Whereas it’s 55-64-year-olds who have cut back on the greatest number of cigs, consuming 34 fewer on average per month – that’s an estimated saving of £21.54.

The highest proportion of smokers who have reduced how much they smoke in the UK can be found in the North East, with 93% of local smokers cutting back.

Welsh smokers, on the other hand, were the most reluctant to sacrifice their cigarette budget to save money – with HALF of Wales-based respondents claiming that their smoking budget has not changed.

Marcus Saxton, CEO of TECC, commented on the data:

“The current cost of living crisis is impacting the way most Brits are budgeting and spending their money. Where cigarettes may once have been a regular purchase in your weekly shop, they may now be considered a luxury; an expense to be sacrificed and put towards essentials such as bills and rent.”

“We conducted this survey to find out how the cost of living crisis is impacting smoking habits across the country. It’s interesting to see that the vast majority of Brits are willing to reduce the amount that they smoke to cut costs, and with cigarette prices rising it’s clear why this cut could have a big impact on personal finances.”

“Though you may have had to cut the number of cigarettes that you smoke in order to save, this could be a great opportunity to try and ditch the habit completely – for the sake of your health, and your bank balance. The NHS offers a free personal quit plan for those who are struggling to cut down and they also recommend smoking aids as a means to quitting which can be a great first step.”