Views on smoking from the people of Derby City and Derbyshire

Between October and December 2025, we carried out a project to hear from people living in Derby City and Derbyshire about smoking, quitting, and local stop smoking services.

We heard from 167 people through an online survey, spoke to residents at four community and workplace events, and carried out three interviews. We wanted to understand people’s smoking habits, what motivates them to quit, and what makes it harder to access support.

The findings were used to help evaluate stop smoking messages and to improve local services, including Livewell Derby and Live Life Better Derbyshire.

Key findings

• Many people who smoke want to quit, mainly to improve their health, save money, and improve their wellbeing
• Awareness of local stop smoking services was low, and many people did not know support and quit-smoking products are free
• Smoking was often linked to stress, mental health, habit, and daily routines
• Fear of judgement and lack of clear information stopped some people from seeking help
• Flexible support, such as phone appointments, made it easier for people to engage
• Once people understood the support available, many were more willing to use stop smoking services

Feedback from this work has been shared with public health teams, the NHS, and local stop smoking services to help improve support and future messaging across Derby City and Derbyshire.

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