Survey: The French and tobacco tax increases
November 2, 2020
Par: communication@cnct.fr
Dernière mise à jour: November 2, 2020
Temps de lecture: 3 minutes
On the occasion of the No Tobacco Month which started on the 1ster November, Public Health France unveils new data relating to tobacco consumption in France. These figures, collected by the 2018 Public Health France Barometer[1], shed light on the French opinion on the increase in taxes on tobacco products. The latest one occurred at the beginning of the month.
November saw a new increase in tobacco prices, pushing the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes above the symbolic €10 mark for almost all brands. These increases were planned as part of the National Tobacco Control Program (2018-2022).
Nearly half of French people support tobacco tax increases
According to the Barometer figures, nearly half of French people believe these tax increases are justified. However, these data hide certain disparities based on the smoking status of those surveyed. For example, only 28% smokers believe these measures are justified. This figure drops to 26.1% for daily smokers. Conversely, 51.9% former smokers consider these increases justified. As for non-smokers, 62.4% support the tax measure.
Increased effectiveness among vulnerable populations
Regular and significant, tax increases are the most powerful lever for reducing smoking. This measure is particularly effective among vulnerable populations and young people, as the Barometer figures show. Thus, while only 28% of smokers find a justification for tax increases, 43.6% of them consider it a motivating measure to make them quit smoking. This proportion increases among younger people (49.2 of 18-34 year-olds, compared to 40% of 55-75 year-olds). Among former daily smokers who quit in the five years preceding the survey, 39.8 % emphasize that increases in the price of tobacco motivated them to quit.
Keywords: Survey, Tax increases, smoking cessation
[1] Public Health France: #MonthWithoutTabac: types of tobacco consumed and tax increases seen by the French, October 27, 2020, (accessed 10/30/2020)
