Are population-wide mass media campaigns still relevant in an era of low smoking prevalence? Insights from the Power to Quit campaign in England
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Introduction
The role of population-wide smoking cessation campaigns is uncertain as smoking prevalence reaches historically low levels. We examined whether the Power to Quit campaign in England, which aimed to increase uptake of evidence-based cessation support, particularly digital aids, was associated with changes in quitting behaviour.
Methods
We analysed nationally-representative cross-sectional surveys of adults in England who smoked in the past year, conducted immediately before ( n =803) and after ( n =1,713) the campaign (February- April 2026). Logistic regression estimated associations with quit attempts, digital cessation support, local Stop Smoking Services (SSS), and quit success, overall and by social grade. Exploratory analyses examined participants recognising campaign materials ( n =799). Smoking Toolkit Study (STS) data (January 2023-June 2026; n =11,442) were used to contextualise findings against longer-term trends.
Results
In the primary pre/post analysis, there were increases in quit attempts (48.4% to 52.3%, aOR=1.16 [95%CI=0.97-1.38]), attempts involving digital support (16.0% to 18.4%, aOR=1.18 [0.92-1.50], and attempts involving SSS (2.4% to 3.6%, aOR=1.53 [0.89-2.65]), although estimates were uncertain. Associations were larger among participants recognising campaign materials (quit attempts: 64.9%, aOR=1.82 [1.47-2.26]; digital support: 28.7%, aOR=1.88 [1.44-2.45]; SSS: 5.4%, aOR=2.14 [1.19- 3.88]). Increases in support uptake were particularly evident among less advantaged adults. There was no clear evidence of a change in quit success. STS data showed increases in support uptake continued from before the campaign.
Conclusions
Power to Quit coincided with increased engagement with cessation support, particularly among less advantaged adults and those recognising campaign materials. Increases in support continued pre- campaign trends, indicating that the contribution of the campaign occurred within a broader period of changing cessation behaviour.
Implications
National mass media campaigns appear to still contribute to increasing engagement with evidence- based cessation support when smoking prevalence is low, particularly among more disadvantaged groups, where smoking remains more common and quit success rates are lower. Although Power to Quit was a population-wide campaign, media planning prioritised areas with higher smoking prevalence and settings where smoking was more common and habitual, alongside sociodemographic targeting where feasible. These findings suggest that population-wide campaigns and targeted delivery strategies can be complementary rather than competing approaches.
