Quit attempts among males and females

Bar chart showing percentage of smokers and recent quitters who attempted to quit in the past 12 months, among males and females, in 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

In 2020, the percentages of males and females who had made a quit attempt in the past year did not differ significantly29 (Figure 5.9).

Between 1999 and 2020, the percentages of males and females who had made an attempt were similar in most years, despite greater variation in some survey years (Figure 5.10).

Figure 5.9 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 5.9: Percentage of smokers and recent quitters* who attempted to quit in the past 12 months, among males and females, 2020
  Males Females
2020 42.2 [36.5-47.9] 47.7 [41.3-54.2]

*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, among males and females, from 1999 to 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 5.10 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 5.10: Percentage of smokers (and recent quitters)* who attempted to quit in the past 12 months, among males and females, 1999**-2020
  Males Females
1999 48.4 52.8
2000 53.2 48.9
2001 50.5 [45.3-55.8] 53.3 [49.3-57.2]
2002 45.4 [42.1-48.7] 47.2 [43.4-51.0]
2003 * *
2004 48.5 [44.5-52.4] 47.9 [43.9-51.8]
2005 50.7 [46.4-55.0] 50.2 [45.7-54.6]
2006 49.1 [45.2-53.0] 49.6 [45.6-53.5]
2007 51.0 [47.0-54.9] 49.3 [44.8-53.7]
2008 50.6 [46.0-55.1] 51.1 [56.7-55.5]
2009 49.2 [44.9-53.5] 45.8 [41.4-50.2]
2010 44.3 [40.2-48.5] 49.7 [45.4-54.0]
2011 44.6 [39.7-49.4] 46.3 [42.1-50.5]
2012 51.0 [45.7-56.3] 43.0 [38.2-47.8]
2013 56.5 [51.0-62.1] 41.4 [35.5-47.2]
2015 49.1 [43.3-54.8] 56.6 [50.7-62.5]
2017 46.4 [39.2-53.5] 46.0 [38.3-53.6]
2019 46.7 [41.2-52.3] 43.1 [37.8-48.3]
2020 42.2 [36.5-47.9] 47.7 [41.3-54.2]

*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.