Objective: This study investigates the influence of tobacco prices on consumption habits among 200 smokers in Lisbon, Portugal, focusing on generational preferences and perceptions of tobacco taxes. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a quantitative approach. Participants were categorized by generational cohort, and data on tobacco consumption types, awareness of tobacco taxes, and opinions on tax increases were collected. Statistical analyses were used to explore relationships and predictors. Results: Findings reveal that 46.5% of participants favored heated tobacco, 37.0% smoked cigarettes, and 16.5% consumed other types like roll-your-own tobacco and electronic cigarettes. Significant generational differences were observed, with older cohorts predominantly smoking cigarettes (51.5%), while Generation Z showed a preference for heated tobacco (55.2%). Most smokers (79.5%) were aware of tobacco taxes, with diverse opinions on their purpose: revenue generation (44.0%), consumption reduction (44.5%), and indifference (11.5%). Despite this awareness, 60.5% reported no change in consumption habits due to tax increases. Conclusion: The study underscores the complexity of tobacco consumption behaviors influenced by price and generational factors. While heated tobacco gains popularity among younger smokers, traditional cigarettes remain prevalent among older cohorts. The findings highlight challenges in tobacco control policies, suggesting a need for comprehensive strategies integrating price measures with targeted educational and cessation interventions to effectively reduce tobacco use across different generations.

1. Adermark, L., Galanti, M., Ryk, C., Gilljam, H., and Hedman, L. (2021). Prospective association between use of electronic cigarettes and use of conventional cigarettes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. ERJ Open Research, 7(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00976-2020
2. Alotaibi, H., and Alsanea, N. (2022). Impact of taxation policy on tobacco consumption in Saudi Arabia. Annals of Saudi Medicine, 42(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.5144/0256-4947.2022.1
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2020). Youth and Tobacco Use. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_data/tobacco_use/index.htm
4. Cullen, K., Ambrose, B., Gentzke, A., Apelberg, B., Jamal, A., and King, B. (2018). Notes from the field: Use of electronic cigarettes and any tobacco product among middle and high school students United States, 2011–2018. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 17, 1276–1277. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr. mm6745a5
5. Flor, L., Reitsma, M., Gupta, V., Ng, M., and Gakidou, E. (2021). The effects of tobacco control policies on global smoking prevalence. Nature Medicine, 27(2), 239–243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-01210-8
6. Guindon, G. E., Perucic, A. M., and Boisclair, D. (2003). Higher tobacco prices and taxes in South-East Asia: An effective tool to reduce tobacco use, save lives and generate revenue. World Bank Economics of Tobacco Toolkit.
7. He, Y., Shang, C., and Chaloupka, F. (2018). The association between cigarette affordability and consumption: an update. PLoS One, 13(12), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200665
8. Holipah, H., Sulistomo, H., and Maharani, A. (2020). Tobacco smoking and risk of all-cause mortality in Indonesia. PloS One, 15(12), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0242558
9. Kraus, L., Möckl, J., Lochbühler, K., Rauschert, C., Seitz, N., and Olderbak, S. (2022). Changes in the use of tobacco, alternative tobacco products, and tobacco alternatives in Germany. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 119(31–32), 535–541. https://doi.org/ 10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0252
10. Le Foll, B., Piper, M., Fowler, C., Tonstad, S., Bierut, L., Lu, L., Jha, P., and Hall, W. (2022). Tobacco and nicotine use. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 8(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-022-00346-w
11. Leslie, F. (2020). Unique, long-term effects of nicotine on adolescent brain. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 197, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2020.173010
12. Martinez, A. (2024). Taxes on harmful consumption: between public health and the risk of disguised protectionism. Revista de Direito Tributário da APET, 49, 223–237.
13. McGrath-Morrow, S., Gorzkowski, J., Groner, J., Rule, A., Wilson, K., Tanski, S., Collaco., J., and Klein, J. (2020). The effects of nicotine on development. Pediatrics, 145(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019–1346
14. Merkaj, E., Zhllima, E., Imami, D., Gjika, I., Guerrero-López, C., and Drope, J. (2024). Impact of cigarette price and tobacco control policies on youth smoking experimentation in Albania. Tobacco control, 33(2), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2023-058196
15. Mweshi, G., and Sakyi, K. (2020). Application of Sampling Methods for The Research Design. Archives of Business Review, 8(11), 180–193. https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.811.9042
16. Nargis, N., Michal Stoklosa, M., Shang, C., and Drope, J. (2021). Price, Income, and Affordability as the Determinants of Tobacco Consumption: A Practitioner’s Guide to Tobacco Taxation. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(1), 40–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaa134
17. Ngo, A., Drope, J., Guerrero-López, C., Siu, E., and Chaloupka, F. (2024). As countries improve their cigarette tax policy, cigarette consumption declines. Tobacco Control, 33, 91–96. https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2022-057486
18. O’Brien, D., Long, J., Quigley, J., Lee, C., McCarthy, A., and Kavanagh, P. (2021). Association between electronic cigarette use and tobacco cigarette smoking initiation in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 954–964. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10935-1
19. Pavlikova, B., Baska, T., Freel, L., and Van Dijk, J. (2023). Smoking is a risk factor for generation Z, too: The evolution of the attitudes. International Journal of Public Health, 68, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2023.1604760
20. Perikleous, E., Steiropoulos, P., Paraskakis, E., Constantinidis, T., and Nena, E. (2018). Ecigarette use among adolescents: an overview of the literature and future perspectives. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, 86–95. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2 018.00086.
21. Peruga, A., López, M., Martinez, C., and Fernández, E. (2021). Tobacco control policies in the 21st century: achievements and open challenges. Molecular oncology, 15(3), 744–752. https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.12918.
22. Polosa, R. (2021). Examining the evidence for the health impact of combustion-free products: progress and prospects for tobacco harm reversal and reduction. Internal and Emergency Medicine, 16(8), 2043–2046. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-021-02837-2
23. Prigitano, A., Binda, S., Pariani, E., Destrebecq, A., Castaldi, S., Cogliati, M., Esposto, M., and Romanò L. (2020). Tobacco and e-cigarette smoking habits among Italian healthcare students. Annali di Igiene, 32(6), 608–614. https://doi.org/10.7416/ai.2020.2382.
24. Ramanarayanan, V., and Rajeev, K. (2020). Sociodemographic profile of tobacco use and its predictors in Kerala, India. Population Medicine, 2, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.18332/ popmed/128324
25. Sheikh, Z., Branston, J., and Gilmore, A. (2023). Tobacco industry pricing strategies in response to excise tax policies: a systematic review. Tobacco Control, 32(2), 239–250. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056630
26. Sun, T., Anandan, A., Lim, C., East, K., Xu, S., Quah, A., Rutherford, B., Johnson, B., Qi, Y, Stjepanovic, D., Leung, J., Connor, J., Gartner, C., Hall, W., and Chan, G. (2023). Global prevalence of heated tobacco product use, 2015–22: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Addiction, 118(8), 1430–1444. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16199
27. Tapadas, R. (2023). Harmonization in excise duties: the special case of tobacco [Doctoral dissertation]. ISCAL.
28. Verguet, S., Kearns, P., and Rees, V. (2021). Questioning the regressivity of tobacco taxes: a distributional accounting impact model of increased tobacco taxation. Tobacco Control, 30(3), 245–257. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055315
29. Wang, R., Shenfan, L., Song, Y., Wang, Q., Zhang, R., Kuai, L., and Li, B. (2023). Smoking relapse reasons among current smokers with previous cessation experience in Shanghai: A cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.740476
30. Williams, K. C., and Page, R. A. (2011). Marketing to the Generations. Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business, 5(1), 1–17.
31. World Health Organization (WHO, 2020). Tobacco taxes and the reduction of tobacco consumption. https://www.who.int/health-topics/tobacco#tab=tab_1
32. World Health Organization (WHO, 2023). Cancer-Focused Teams Oral Cancer Team (OCT). https://www.iarc.who.int/teams-oct/
33. World Health Organization (WHO, 2023). WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023: Protect people from tobacco smoke, https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/372043/9789240077164-eng.pdf?sequence=1