Over the past 5 years, the share of Dutch smokers has decreased from 25% to 22%, but young people are out of trend.

31% of young people in the Netherlands 24-29 years old smoke, with the majority doing it daily. And among 18-19-year-old Dutchmen, the share of smokers has grown from 19.5% to 20.2% over the past year.. These are the findings of a study by the Netherlands Institute for Mental Health and Addiction (Trimbos Institute), which leads Europulse.

As the authors of the study note, this trend indicates a high level of stress among young Dutch people.. In addition, the prevention and cessation of smoking campaigns in the Netherlands do not target young people.. Instead, they focus on either teenagers or adults.. Meanwhile, advertising for smoking (for example, vaping) is aimed primarily at young people..

Researchers from the Netherlands advise, in addition to stricter bans on advertising smoking (primarily on social media), to create more self-help groups for young people who want to quit smoking.