Economic recession and depression is deterring people from giving up smoking, researchers warn today.
The proportion of smokers trying to quit has halved in the last three years, researchers said.
The figures were being reported to the NCRI Cancer Conference in Liverpool today.
They show that in 2007 as many as 32 per cent of smokers were saying they had tried to kick the habit in the previous three months.
Last year this fell to 22 per cent and is now running at 17 per cent, according to Professor Robert West, director of tobacco studies at the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre. Professor West has analysed surveys conducted by the British Market Research Bureau for the charity.
He said: "As the country tightens its financial belt we’ve seen the number of smokers trying to quit slow down.
"While no one can be sure about the cause and effect with data of this kind this could be another very damaging impact of the financial crisis."
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