While almost half of Ontarians have never smoked cigarettes, 18% of people over 18 years of age in Canada’s largest province are currently smokers, according to a new poll.
This is close to the national average, with the most recent statistics indicating that 16.1% of Canadians smoked in 2012.
Approximately three quarters of respondents to the survey, conducted by Forum Research, have wanted to quit and tried to do so more than once in the past.
It seems many will try again this year, with 61% saying that they intend to kick the habit in the coming months.
Most of those who did manage to butt out for good reported that they did not require any aid, forgoing the nicotine patch, gum or electronic cigarettes in favour of the cold turkey method.
While scientifically-sound conclusions cannot be drawn from the poll, it appears there may be a correlation between awareness, social status and the decision not to pick up smoking.
The men and women who had never smoked were among the youngest, wealthiest and most educated of the Ontarians surveyed.
Forum Research polled 1058 randomly-selected Ontarians by telephone, on December 19 and 20. The margin of error for this sample is +/-3%, 19 times out of 20.
Did you know?
- E-cigarettes containing nicotine cannot be sold in Canada, but the Heart and Stroke Foundation notes that they are still available because the ban is not strictly enforced.
- Nicotine-free e-cigarettes are not illegal, but they have not been approved either by Health Canada as a safe replacement product.
- Starting in 2016, the sale of e-cigarettes to minors will be prohibited in Ontario.
- With the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, “vape” was chosen as Oxford Dictionary’s word of 2014.
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