Quit attempts

Bar chart showing number of quit attempts made in the past 12 months by smokers and recent quitters in 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

In 2020, just under half (44.5%)a of smokers and recent quitters reported having made at least one quit attempt in the past year, and nearly one-third (31.8%) had made multiple attempts (Figure 5.7).

There was no significant change between 2019 and 2020 in the percentage of smokers and recent quitters who had attempted to quit in the past 12 months.28

From 1999 to 2020, the percentage of smokers and recent quitters who had attempted to quit in the past 12 months appears to have remained fairly stable, at around half (Figure 5.8).

Figure 5.7 data table with 95% confidence intervals
igure 5.7: Number of quit attempts made in the past 12 months by smokers and recent quitters*, 2020
# of attempts %
0 55.5 [51.1-59.8]
1 12.8 [9.9-15.6]
2 or 3 18.3 [15.1-21.6]
4+ 13.4 [10.6-16.2]

*Includes current smokers and former smokers who had quit in the past 12 months.
Data source: Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2020.

Line graph showing percentage of smokers and recent quitters who attempted to quit in the past 12 months from 1999 to 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 5.8 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 5.8: Percentage of smokers and recent quitters* who attempted to quit in the past 12 months, 1999** - 2020
Year % Attempted
1999 50.4
2000 51.2
2001 51.8 [48.4-55.2]
2002 46.2 [43.7-48.8]
2003 *
2004 48.2 [45.4-51.0]
2005 50.5 [47.3-53.6]
2006 49.3 [46.5-52.1]
2007 50.1 [47.2-53.0]
2008 50.8 [47.6-54.0]
2009 47.6 [44.5-50.7]
2010 46.6 [43.5-49.7]
2011 45.4 [42.2-48.5]
2012 47.6 [43.9-51.3]
2013 49.6 [45.5-53.7]
2015 52.3 [48.1-56.5]
2017 46.2 [41.1-51.3]
2019 45.1 [41.2-48.9]
2020 44.5 [40.2-48.9]

*Note: In 1999-2002, this question was asked of current smokers; 2003 (data not shown) included only smokers who had tried to quit in the past two years; 2004-2020 included current smokers and former smokers who had quit in the past 12 months.
**In 1999, only Cycle 2 was asked the relevant survey items. 
Data source: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017; Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2019, 2020.

95% confidence intervals for in-text estimates 

a: 44.5 [40.2-48.9]