Smoke and Mirrors: Voter Research Into Nanny State Measures Surrounding Nicotine Consumption
The Adam Smith Institute commissioned JL Partners to undertake a representative poll of adults in Great Britain.
The polling showed that over half of Brits think that Labour are anti-fun and anti-personal freedoms. The majority of voters think that Labour “loves to ban things that people enjoy” and that it “interferes too much with their daily lives”.
The government’s plans to ban smoking and disposable vapes, alongside their tax hikes on the hospitality industry, could reinforce these negative opinions on Labour and current beliefs that Farage better understands working people. As the polling demonstrates, Reform already poses a serious threat to Labour, and those Labour 2024 voters who are now considering voting for Reform are particularly likely to think that this government is attacking working people and has too much say over our personal freedoms.
These findings also show that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is not a priority for voters. They care about the Cost of Living, Healthcare and NHS, and Immigration.
With these findings in mind, the Government and the Department for Health and Social Care should reconsider their plans to ban cigarettes and disposable vapes, and focus instead on the issues which matter fundamentally to most voters.
Polling methodology:
The Adam Smith Institute commissioned JL Partners to poll a nationally representative sample of GB adults:
The fieldwork dates were 13th to the 21st February 2025.
Sample of 6,049 GB Adults
Data was quota-ed and weighted to be representative of Great Britain on age, gender, region, education, general election vote, ethnicity and political attention
Sample collected using online panel
Survey length: 20 minutes
Margin of error: 2.2%
JL Partners used “Battleground Seats” to refer to those where Labour are currently projected to lose to Reform UK or those where Reform UK are a close second to Labour.
JL Partners defined ‘Reform Switchers’ as Labour 2024 voters who are now voting for Reform UK. They defined ‘Reform Considerers’ as Labour 2024 voters who are now considering voting for Reform UK.
‘Smokers’ were defined as someone who had smoked at least one cigarette in the last month.
‘Vapers’ were defined as someone who had vaped at least once in the last month.