Majority of Public Support Smokefree Generation as New Polling Shows Overwhelming Public Backing for Tougher Action on Tobacco

With the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Billentering its final stages in Parliament, and just days before World No Tobacco Day (31 May)and the nationwide ban on disposable vapes (1 June 2025), NEW polling[1] from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) reveals overwhelming public support for a bold smokefree future – with voters urging the Government to go further and faster.

The findings, from a nationally representative YouGov survey of over 11,000 adults in England, show two-thirds of the public (68%) back the ‘Smokefree Generation’ policy – the centrepiece of the new Bill – which would ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2009. Even among smokers, more than half (52%) support the move. What’s more:

• A whopping 65% of people in England want to live in a country where no one smokes, with support spanning all age, income, and regional groups.
• Nearly half (45%) believe the Government isn’t doing enough to tackle smoking – despite world-leading proposals already on the table.
• 86% support tobacco retail licensing, while three in four (75%) want a Big Tobacco levy to fund quitting services and youth prevention.
• Public support for measures once deemed “too controversial” is rising fast – from introducing plain packaging to product display/advertising bans.

The results also show a major shift in smokers’ attitudes, with increasing awareness of the harm smoking causes and growing calls for tougher rules and better enforcement. Among the 39% of smokers who plan to stop smoking, 48% support the goal of a smokefree society.

At the same time, the public is rejecting long-standing industry myths about smokefree spaces. Nearly six in ten (59%) support banning smoking in outdoor areas of pubs, cafés, and restaurants– with many viewing it as a positive change. In fact, 40% say they’d be more likely to visit these venues if smoking were banned outside – more than double the number (19%) who say they’d go less often, debunking the idea that smokefree means customer-free.

Support for further smokefree spaces also remains strong:

• 91% want smoking banned in school grounds and playgrounds
• 79% in hospital grounds
• 77% in public transport waiting areas
• 60% on beaches
• 56% in parks

Ahead of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill becoming law, the Government has already taken steps to ban disposable vapes – due concerns about their environmental impact and their use among children. The ban will come into force on 1^st June 2025 meaning it will be illegal to sell vapes that can’t be recharged and refilled. 

The public also backs the more comprehensive, tougher regulations needed to protect children from vaping as 78% support banning sweet flavours, cartoon characters, and bright packaging. Furthermore, 68% want warnings printed directly on cigarette sticks.

With the Bill nearing Royal Assent, health campaigners are calling on MPs to match the public’s appetite for action by:

1. Passing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in full and ensure its timely implementation.
2. Introducing a Tobacco Industry Levy to fund stop-smoking services and prevention.
3. Publishing a Roadmap to a Smokefree Country setting out how the government will deliver rapid reductions to create a country where no-one smokes

Support for the Smokefree Generation also spans the political spectrum. From 50% of 2024 Reform UK voters to as many as 78% of Liberal Democrat supporters, the public consensus is clear: it’s time to accelerate the journey towards a smokefree Britain.

Bob Blackman MP co-chair of the APPG on Smoking and Health said:

"This isn’t about a nanny state, it’s about a public mandate. People from all walks of life want action. They’re not just asking for a Bill, they’re calling for a movement toward a smokefree future and parliament must now match the public’s urgency. Every day we delay, 200 lives are lost and this cannot be ignored.”

Mary Foy MP, co-chair of the APPG on Smoking and Health said:

“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is a crucial milestone – especially in protecting future generations. We need bold, continued action: preventing uptake, helping smokers quit, and reducing harm. This report clearly shows the public is not only on board, they’re eager for more Government leadership to make it happen.”

Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive, Action on Smoking and Health said:

"The public is overwhelmingly behind a bold smokefree future – but they also want to see Big Tobacco held accountable. With the industry raking in an estimated £900 million in profits each year, it's only right that they contribute to fixing the harm they've caused. A £700 million annual levy, tapering as smoking declines, would fund vital public health initiatives, help close the gap in healthy life expectancy between rich and poor, and ease the burden on taxpayers."

The 2007 indoor smoking ban, introduced under a Labour Government, remains one of the most significant public health achievements of our time. Thanks to sustained tobacco control efforts, smoking rates had fallen to 20% by 2010, with smoking among 15-year-olds more than halving from 30% in 1998 to 12% by 2010 – laying the groundwork for the smokefree generation legislation later proposed by the Conservative Government. However, smoking remains the UK’s leading cause of premature death and ill health with major impacts on cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer-related health, leading to conditions like heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

[1] ASH Smokefree Adult Survey 2025, n=13,314. Online GB survey conducted 10th February to 10th March 2025 by YouGov on behalf of ASH. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults in Great Britain (aged 18+).