Fewer people attempted to quit smoking last year than in 2020, the Trimbos Institute concludes after research.
According to the researchers, 31 percent of smokers tried to quit last year, compared to 36 percent the year before. “It is the first time that we have seen such a large decrease in the number of stop attempts,” according to the Trimbos.
The government has been trying to discourage smoking for years. For example, the target has been set that every year half of the smokers make a serious attempt to quit. That is now far from being achieved. “This means that the government must take action quickly and especially focus on measures that can tempt smokers to quit more actively. And make it easier to stay smoke-free,” according to the addiction institute.
It is not known how many quit attempts were successful last year. About 2.9 million adults (20.6 percent) in the Netherlands smoke. Nearly three quarters smoke one or more cigarettes every day.