Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS): Smoking Report 2015

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. 13 year olds were more likely to buy them from others than buy them from shops. The reverse was true for 15 year olds (Figure 3.1).

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. Between 2013 and 2015 there was an increase in the proportion of 15 year olds who said they usually got their cigarettes from 'some other type of shop' (from 5% to 9%), or a garage (from 3% to 5%), but no statistically significant changes in relation to newsagents or supermarkets (Figure 3.3).

Girls were more likely than boys to be given cigarettes by friends (42% of all girls who were regular smokers compared with 33% of boys), be given them by siblings (9% compared with 5%) and to buy them from friends or relatives (20% compared with 13%).

Figure 3.1 Regular smokers' sources of cigarettes - broad categories, by age (2015)

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

Base: 13 year old regular smokers (176), 15 year old regular smokers (737)

Figure 3.2 Regular smokers' sources of cigarettes - detailed categories, by age (2015)

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

Base: 13 year old regular smokers (176), 15 year old regular smokers (737)

Figure 3.3 Trends in 15 year old regular smokers getting cigarettes from shops (1990-2015)

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

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

Attempts to purchase

43% of 15 year old regular smokers said they had bought cigarettes from a shop, supermarket or van in the last 4 weeks. A further 6% of 15 year olds said they had tried to do so but were refused (Figure 3.4).

There were no changes between 2013 and 2015.

Boys were more likely to have bought cigarettes from a shop, supermarket or van (48% of all boys who were regular smokers compared with 35% of girls).

Figure 3.4 15 year old regular smokers' attempts to purchase cigarettes, by age (2015)

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 (744)

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 £8.10. This was 75p higher than the £7.35 average estimate of regular smokers. There were no gender differences.

Although the non-smokers' estimate is closer to the recommended retail price ( RRP) of £9.40, it should be borne in mind that 15 year old regular smokers were more aware of cheaper brands.

The RRP of 20 cigarettes has increased much more than pupils' estimates of the cost. In 2015, both non-smokers and regular smokers' estimates were much less than the RRP (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 B)

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 very few gender differences.

Figure 3.6 Number of cigarette brands that 15 year olds could name, by smoking status (2015)

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 (6570), 15 year old regular smokers (599)