Quit attempts

Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2015. See data table with 95% confidence intervals below.

In 2015, over half (52.3%^a) of smokers and recent quitters reported having made at least one quit attempt in the past year, and more than one-third had made multiple attempts (Figure 6.13)

There was no significant change between 2013 and 2015 in the percentage of smokers and recent quitters who had attempted to quit in the past 12 months.⁵⁷

From 1999 to 2015, 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 6.14).

Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015. See data table with 95% confidence intervals below.

Figure 6.13 and 6.14 data tables with 95% confidence intervals

Number of quit attempts made in the past 12 months by smokers and recent quitters*, 2015
# of attempts	%
0	47.7 [43.5-51.9]
1	17.3 [13.9-20.7]
2	10.8 [8.1-13.4]
3	7.6 [5.3-9.9]
4+	16.7 [13.9-19.5]

*Includes current smokers and former smokers who had quit in the past 12 months
Data source: Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2015

Percentage of smokers and recent quitters* who attempted to quit in the past 12 months, 1999**-2015
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]

*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; 2004-2013 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.