Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38059 by Jenni Minto on 9 June 2025, what assessment it has made of whether the subgroup analysis of the 11-18-year-olds from Scotland who participate in the annual ASH SmokeFree GB Youth survey is robust with regards to individuals’ (a) years of age, (b) socioeconomic groups and (c) behaviours by those who are (i) regular users and (ii) never users of (A) tobacco, (B) e-cigarettes and (C) nicotine pouches.
The ASH SmokeFree GB Youth survey is an annual survey of a representative sample (by age and gender) of 11–18-year-olds across Great Britain, which has been running since 2013. The Scottish Government began purchasing a booster sample since 2024 to achieve representativeness by age and gender specifically for Scotland.
In 2025, the total number of participants aged 11 to 18 from Scotland in 2025 was 856. This is a sufficiently large sample to conduct analysis of age-related differences in prevalence and demonstrate clear patterns of use (a).
The sample is not representative in terms of deprivation as it leans towards higher social grades. The data are not weighted to account for this, and this limitation should be considered when interpreting the results. Data are collected on social grade and grouped into ABC1 and C2DE categories, which are not directly comparable with the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).
Regarding behaviours by regular and never users of tobacco, e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches (c), we report on ‘current use’, which includes both regular (once a week or more) and occasional use. This is because the percentages of young people reporting regular use of tobacco, vapes and other nicotine products is very small. This approach aligns with established statistical reporting standards and reflects the low prevalence – particularly for newer products like nicotine pouches – among adolescents.
To ensure transparency, we do not present percentages for subgroups with fewer than 50 respondents. Instead, we report counts and note the small base to minimise the risk of misinterpretation – see our 2024 report Vaping and smoking among Scottish adolescents.
Purchasing data in the ASH SmokeFree GB Youth survey enables monitoring of progress against key indicators 4(i) and 4(ii) of the Tobacco and Vaping Framework (i.e. smoking and vaping behaviours in children and young people). It reflects a considered trade-off between cost, analytical value, and timeliness – ensuring prompt delivery of insights to inform policy decisions and interventions.