Smoking Rate Drops Fast in Israel
Puff Drop: Israelis are smoking less. A new study shows a 14% drop in the number of smokers, although just 3% fewer cigarettes were consumed, shedding some doubt on the veracity of the responses. Image by getty images
The number of smokers in Israel is continuing to decline, according to a Health Ministry study.
The report, which by law is submitted annually to the Knesset, shows that the proportion of smokers in Israel has declined 14 percent within one year. The report is based on surveys conducted by the Center for Disease Control at the Health Ministry, and its findings suggest the continued tax increases on cigarettes may be having an effect on the number of people who kick the habit.
The survey was conducted in 2011–2012 among 2,964 Israelis aged 21 and up. It found that 17.7 percent of the adult population in Israel smokes cigarettes: Among Jewish men, 20.9 percent smoke, as do 12 percent of Jewish women, 41.4 percent of Arab men and 8.1 percent of Arab women.
These results reflect a drop from the previous year’s survey, which showed that 20.6 percent of the adult population were smokers. (In this survey, 27.2 percent of men and 14.5 percent of women, 19.8 percent of Jews and 24.9 percent of Arabs were smokers.)
The report also shows that in 2012, Israelis consumed 415 million packs of cigarettes, down from 426 million in 2011 (a drop of 2.7 percent).
For more go to Haaretz
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
