The Doctors’ Survey was funded by a Foundation for a Smoke-Free World grant and conducted by Sermo to develop actionable insights for accelerating an end to smoking. Sermo, a private social media network for physicians in 150 countries, surveyed physicians to understand doctors’ perceptions of nicotine and reduced-risk products, and their interactions with adult patients on the issue of smoking, quitting and tobacco harm reduction tools.

On May 20th of last year, the EU ban on the manufacture and sale of menthol cigarettes went into effect for the Union’s 27 member countries. This regulatory move was predicated on the view that such a ban would discourage people from starting smoking or encourage them to quit—thus contributing to general public health. To evaluate the validity of this supposition, the Foundation sponsored surveys of adult menthol cigarette smokers in eight EU countries before and after the menthol cigarette ban.

The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World commissioned a poll in five countries that explores the relationship between COVID-19 social distancing and health among 6,801 tobacco and nicotine users. More than two thirds of the respondents rely on tobacco and nicotine as their main tool to manage stress and anxiety. Nearly 40% of smokers increased use of these products in recent weeks, which could equate to elevated use by more than 50 million smokers in the five countries polled.

The Global State of Smoking Poll 2019 was conducted as a follow-up to the initial 2017 poll. It features an extensive evaluation of current smoking behaviors and use of alternative nicotine products, as well as beliefs and perceptions regarding the harmfulness and addictiveness of various nicotine products. The surveyed countries were selected to capture regions that vary with respect to smoking prevalence and smoking habits. The resulting data reflects the attitudes and habits of people from diverse cultural, socio-economic, and tobacco-regulatory environments.

In late 2017, the Foundation commissioned a poll that served as a baseline assessment of a continuous effort to evaluate and monitor the global state of smoking and tobacco harm-reduction efforts. The purpose of the survey was to gain a clear understanding of smokers’ experiences and challenges, their habits and perceptions of risk regarding tobacco products and alternative nicotine delivery systems (ANDS), and the influence of these risk perceptions on their choices of products used, among adults across the world.