This section of the report presents information on number of quit attempts and the self-reported quit rates by a range of demographic variables

Number of quit attempts

A higher number of females set a quit date in 2018/19 (127,646) than males (108,529).

Self-reported quit rate

Males had a higher quit rate than females (55% and 51% respectively) and also higher CO validated quit rates (39% and 35%).

Number of quit attempts

There was no clear pattern by age.  The largest number of quit attempts came from the 45-59 year old age group (33% of all attempts).

Self-reported quit rate

The quit rate increased with age reaching 58% for the 60 and over age group.

Number of quit attempts

Of those setting a quit date in 2018/19, 203,244 (86%) were of a White ethnicity.

The next most represented ethnicity was Asian or Asian British, with 10,024 (4%) of those setting a quit date.

Self-reported quit rate

The self-reported quit rate varies by ethnic category, ranging from 50% for Mixed Ethnic group to 56% for Asian or Asian British group

Male/female split by ethnicity

The proportion of those setting a quit date by gender varies across ethnicities. For Asian or Asian British, 80% of those attempting to set a quit date were males. For White, males made up just 44% of those setting a quit date.

Number of quit attempts

Socio economic classification has been determined by smoking cessation advisors using a methodology adapted for use in NHS Smoking Cessation Services. For more details  about socio-economic classification, please consult the Notes & Definitions section of Stop Smoking Services Q4 2018/19 data tables.

The largest number of quit attempts came from the ‘Routine and manual occupations’  group (63,391). The next most represented group, with 33,556 setting a quit date, was 'Never worked or unemployed for over 1 year'.

Self-reported quit rate

The self-reported quit rates varies across socio-economic groups, ranging from 59% for 'Retired' to 43% for ‘Full time students’.

Number of quit attempts

North West had the highest number of quit attempts (37,257) and West Midlands had the lowest (14,484).

Self-reported quit rate

The quit rate was highest in Yorkshire and Humber (61%) and lowest in South West (46%).

Number of quit attempts

13,772  pregnant women set a quit date in 2018/19, remaining very similar to the number setting a quit date in 2017/18.

Self-reported quit rate

Both quit rates remained similar to previous years, with only slight rises for both self reported quit rate and for CO validated quit rate.