On average, after adjusting for sex, age and consumption levels, smokers of packs containing 20 cigarettes nominated price points that indicated that sticks in their usual pack would have to reach AUD$1.21 each before they would consider quitting, a significantly higher per stick price than the average price points nominated by smokers of each of the larger pack sizes.
No differences were found when comparing smokers of 30/35 or 50 packs tendency to nominate price points, with smokers of the smallest packs.
Over half of smokers (60.1%) who nominated a price point, indicated a price point for their usual brand at which they would seriously consider quitting of an amount that equated to 80 cents per stick or less.
Among those who were happy to continue smoking and who nominated a price point, the median current price of their usual pack was AUD$16.50 and the median quitting price point nominated was AUD$25.41 (a potential increase of more than 50%).
The majority of smokers who nominated a price point (87.5%) would seriously consider quitting if each stick within their usual pack cost one dollar.
Of the smokers who nominated a price point, 60.1% indicated they would seriously consider quitting if the cost of their usual brand equated to 80 cents per stick or less; 87.5% would seriously consider quitting if sticks reached one dollar each.
However, compared to younger adults (14.5%), adults aged 50 plus (37.5%) and 30 to 49 years (25.8%) were more likely to be represented in the respondents who did not nominate price points.
More than 60% of smokers able to nominate a price point would seriously think about quitting if retail prices of cigarettes were at least 80 cents per stick.
The 14 smokers who had both used illicit tobacco sometime in the past twelve months and were able to nominate a price point, reported that cigarettes would need to increase in price by an average of 100% before they would seriously consider quitting.
However it is reassuring that smokers unable to nominate a price point were no more likely than those able to nominate a price point to be of low-SES.
