Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS): smoking report 2018

3 Availability and awareness of tobacco

Source of cigarettes

Among regular smokers, the most common sources of cigarettes were getting someone else to buy them and being given them. In 2018, 13 year old regular smokers were almost twice as likely to buy cigarettes from others than buy them from shops, although there was no difference here for 15 year olds (Figure 3.1 and detailed categories in Figure 3.2). 

The proportion of regular smokers who said they usually got their cigarettes from newsagents, garages, supermarkets and other shops dropped markedly between 2002 and 2013. From 2013 to 2015 there was an increase (from 4% to 9%) in the proportion of 15 year olds who said they usually got their cigarettes from ‘some other type of shop’, but there have been no statistically significant changes in relation to newsagents, garages or supermarkets between 2015 and 2018 (Figure 3.3).

Girls were more likely than boys to be given cigarettes by friends (49% of all girls who were regular smokers compared with 34% of boys) and to be given them by siblings (12% compared with 7%). Boys were more likely than girls to buy cigarettes from the supermarket (14% compared with 6%).

Figure 3.1: Regular smokers’ sources of cigarettes – broad categories, by age (2018)

Q. How do you usually get your cigarettes/tobacco?

Base: 13 year old regular smokers (215), 15 year old regular smokers (773)

Figure 3.2: Regular smokers’ sources of cigarettes – detailed categories, by age (2018)

Q. How do you usually get your cigarettes/tobacco?

Base: 13 year old regular smokers (211), 15 year old regular smokers (730)

Figure 3.3: Trends in 15 year old regular smokers getting cigarettes from shops (1990-2018)

Q. How do you usually get your cigarettes/tobacco?

Base: 15 year old regular smokers (for full base sizes please see Appendix A)

Attempts to purchase

44% of 15 year old regular smokers said they had bought cigarettes from a shop, supermarket or van in the last 4 weeks. A further 4% of 15 year olds said they had tried to do so but were refused (Figure 3.4).

Among 15 year olds, boys were more likely than girls to have bought cigarettes from a shop, supermarket or van (51% of boys who were regular smokers compared with 35% of girls who were regular smokers). 

Figure 3.4: 15 year old regular smokers’ attempts to purchase cigarettes, by age (2018)

Q. In the last 4 weeks, have you bought or tried to buy cigarettes/tobacco from any kind of shop, supermarket or van?

Base: all 15 year old regular smokers (755)

Perceived cost of cigarettes

To gauge their awareness of the cost of cigarettes, pupils were asked to estimate the cost of a packet of twenty^[9]. The average estimate of non-smokers was £8.85. This was only 8p less than the £8.93 average estimate of regular smokers.

In 2018 both non-smokers and regular smokers’ estimates were less than the Retail Prices Index (RPI), which was £10.63 around the time they were asked (Figure 3.5).

Figure 3.5: Perceived cost of cigarettes among 15 year olds, by smoking status and year (average estimate)

Q. About how much does a packet of twenty cigarettes cost? If you don’t know, please just give your best guess.

Base: 15 year old non-smokers and regular smokers (for full base sizes please see Appendix A)

Number of brands mentioned/known 

In order to gauge the number of different cigarette brands that they were aware of, pupils were asked to write down as many makes or brands as they could. Regular smokers could name more brands than non-smokers (Figure 3.6). There were few gender differences among those who smoked, but among non-smokers, boys knew more brands than girls.

Figure 3.6: Number of cigarette brands that 15 year olds could name, by smoking status (2018)

Q. Please write in the space below the names of as many makes or brands of cigarettes that you have either seen or heard of. 

Base: 15 year old non-smokers (5,855), 15 year old regular smokers (374)