Prevalence of Tobacco Use Among Youth In Ireland According to ESPAD

"Over two-fifths (43%) of the students (42% boys and 45% girls) reported that they had smoked cigarettes at some point in their life, and 21% (19% boys and 23% girls) had smoked cigarettes in the 30 days prior to the survey. Over one-fifth had had their first cigarette at or before the age of 13 years. Five per cent were smoking daily at or before the age of 13 years. The 2011 European average for smoking cigarettes in the last 30 days was 28% (7 percentage points higher than Ireland), while the European average for smoking cigarettes daily at age 13 or under was 6% (one percentage point higher than Ireland). Three-quarters reported that cigarettes were easy or fairly easy to acquire in Ireland. Over one-fifth thought that people who smoked cigarettes occasionally were at great risk of harming themselves; 67% thought that smoking one or more packs a day constituted a great risk.
"The reduction in cigarette use is larger than the reduction in alcohol use, and alcohol is easier to acquire than cigarettes. The rate of lifetime use of cigarettes decreased by 31 percentage points, from 74% in 1995 to 43% in 2011, and use in the month prior to the survey decreased by 20 percentage points, from 41% in 1995 to 21% in 2011. The proportion who reported smoking cigarettes on a daily basis by age 13 years decreased by 13 percentage points, from 18% in 1995 to 5% in 2011."