Fewer Finns are taking up smoking than in previous years, according to a recent survey. Research showed that smoking is less prevalent among men of working age, women, and boys and girls under the age of 18 than it was in years gone by. Women are now smoking at the same level they were in the early 1980s.
In 2011, almost one in five Finns had a daily smoking habit, with the figure in the 15-64 age group standing at 22 per cent for men and 15 per cent for women. Nineteen per cent of boys and girls smoked daily at the age of 18, while 16 per cent of those under the age of 18 smoked daily. In the 65-84 age group, 10 per cent of males and six per cent of females smoked daily.
The same year, Finns brought 655 million tax free smokes back home from trips abroad, with the consumption of tax free cigarettes going up by 11 per cent on 2010. In proportion to the overall population, there are less significant changes in the consumption of tobacco products, with the increased excise duties making it tougher to compare consumption data for consecutive years.
Last year, there was a slight fall in the volume of tobacco products for taxable consumption, like retail sales, on the previous year. This drop was around one per cent for cigars and three per cent for cigarettes. However, the fact that excise duty on tobacco products was raised in 2009, 2010 and 2012 means comparing the consumption data for consecutive years is more difficult.
Despite the fall in the number of smokers, the electronic cigarette does not appear to be proving popular among Finns. In 2012, less than one per cent of people used the device on a daily basis. On occasional use, it is most popular among men under the age of 35, with four per cent enjoying the odd puff.
The consumption of tax free cigarettes – which account for 11 per cent of overall consumption – imported from abroad dropped by nine per cent on the previous year.