Smoking in Scotland is the portal through which major findings from the Smoking Toolkit Study and other national data are made available to policy makers, clinicians, researchers, journalists and the general public. Details on the methods are at the bottom of this page. You can keep up to date by signing up to our mailing list.
Monthly trends on smoking in Scotland from the Smoking Toolkit Study.
Vera Buss, Robert West, Loren Kock, Dimitra Kale, Jamie Brown
Last updated: 15th September 2026
Data collected during monthly household survey
Each month involves a new representative sample of ~450 adults (16 and over)
Due to the pandemic, from October 2020, surveys were conducted by telephone, and until December 2021, among adults aged 18 and over
From April 2020 (switch to telephone), Ipsos started recording ~<5% cases as missing for social grade. To derive weight variable (which uses social grade), Ipsos assumed missing = social grade C1. To ensure analyses using weight and social grade reflect target weighed profile, social grade was recoded to reflect this assumption. Different assumptions for missing social grade cases were explored in a parallel telephone and face-to-face (with no missing social grade) wave, and this assumption found least distorting.
Kock et al., (2021). Protocol for expansion of an existing national monthly survey of smoking behaviour and alcohol use in England to Scotland and Wales: The Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Study. Wellcome Open Research, 6(67), 67.
