Poll finds that an overwhelming majority of Brits are tired of nanny state policies and want less government control over their lives.

New polling of British adults, conducted by Adam Smith Insights, reveals Brits overwhelmingly oppose nanny state measures, such as banning the advertisement of unhealthy products, and trust themselves, over the government, to make personal decisions related to their safety, lifestyle choices and finances.

The polling shows that more than half of the public (51%) view the proposed Generational Smoking Ban as a lower-priority issue compared to other concerns like the economy and cost of living.

Additionally, a two-thirds majority of adults (66%) believe that nicotine adverts should be permitted in adult-only environments, either freely or under strict regulations.

The overwhelming majority of people (82%) also believe that adverts for a wedding cake and a hot dog, which were prohibited over concerns about unhealthy foods, should not have been banned by Transport for London.

But, concerns about state interference in people’s daily lives are far more wide-ranging.The vast majority of people believe they, not the government, are best placed to decide what is safe for them. A staggering 77% of those polled said they trust themselves to make these judgments.

Brits are also suspicious of growing government control over their lifestyle choices, with 59% rejecting the government having much control over adults’ health and lifestyle.

Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of the public believes they should be trusted to make responsible financial decisions. 92% of voters agree that they should be trusted with their own money, with 55% strongly agreeing.

These findings come as successive governments have increasingly intruded into the personal lives of ordinary Brits, implementing a host of authoritarian policies such as the generational smoking ban, the ban on disposable vapes and the overregulation of Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs).

The state needs to get out of people's lives and businesses. Policymakers must rethink punitive bans and work to lower taxes, trusting the public to make responsible choices for themselves and their families. Brits must be able to thrive and build their own futures without fear of government overreach.

KEY FINDINGS:

Most view the proposed Generational Smoking Ban as a lower-priority issue.

- 51% of the public overall say the Generational Smoking Ban is a lower-priority issue

- This view is shared by all major party voters, though to different degrees. 46% of Labour voters consider it a lower-priority issue compared to 55% of Conservative voters and 64% of Reform UK voters.

A two-thirds majority of adults believe nicotine adverts should be allowed in adult-only environments, either freely or under regulation.

- 66% of the public overall think adults should be able to see nicotine adverts in adult-only environments.

- 28% of the public think such advertisements should be banned entirely, even in adult-only environments.

- The majority of voters across the three parties support allowing the adverts, with Reform UK voters showing the strongest support for minimal intervention.

The overwhelming majority of people believe adverts for "unhealthy foods" should not be banned by TfL.

- 82% of people say the banned adverts for a wedding cake and a hot dog should not have been banned by Transport for London (TfL).

- Only 10% of people think the adverts should have been banned.

Most people trust themselves, not the government, to decide what's safe.

- 77% of people trust themselves, not the government, to judge what’s safe.

- 84% of both Conservative and Reform voters, and 70% of Labour voters, believe individuals are better placed than the government to decide what activities are safe for them.

Most reject the government having much control over their lifestyle choices.

- 59% of voters reject the government having much control over their lifestyle choices.

- 50% of Labour voters, 63% of Conservatives, and 78% of Reform voters think the government should have little or no control over their lifestyle choices.

Majority of the public strongly agrees they should be trusted to make responsible choices about how they spend their money.

- 92% of voters agree or strongly agree that they should be trusted to make responsible choices about their spending.

- 55% of voters strongly agree.

Jack Rankin MP, Conservative Member of Parliament for Windsor and Maidenhead, said:

“These findings from Adam Smith Insights are instructive - the government is overstepping into the lives of everyday Brits. From the Smoking Ban to more taxes on alcohol and gambling, all the way through to destroying our precious freedom of speech.

This government needs to pull a great U-Turn on their attacks on our freedoms: drop the unpopular Smoking Ban, cut taxes on pubs, and restore freedom of speech to the fullest extent”

Emma Schubart, Data & Insights Manager at the Adam Smith Institute, said:

“These findings show what we’ve long suspected, people don’t want the state micromanaging their daily lives.

Across the political spectrum, Brits trust themselves to decide what’s safe, how to live, and how to spend their own money. Yet politicians continue to push bans, taxes, and restrictions in defiance of public opinion.

It’s time for policymakers to step back, respect personal responsibility, and give people the freedom to make choices for themselves and their families.”

For any further details on the methodology, or to arrange an interview, please contact press@adamsmith.org / +44 7584778207

Read the polling in full on the Adam Smith Institute website.

Methodology:

- Adam Smith Insights polled a nationally representative sample of adults in Great Britain for British American Tobacco.

- With fieldwork dates of 12th to 20th September 2025, the poll has a sample size of 2,065 GB adults.

- The sample was collected using online panels.

- Poll is weighted to population targets to match GB adult population profile across age, gender, region, ethnicity, and 2024 general election vote.

- Population targets were based on ONS 2021 UK Census data, age-by-vote distributions derived from Ipsos’s post-election analysis: “How Britain voted in the 2024 election”, national vote share data from the Electoral Reform Society’s 2024 general election results, and YouGov/BES polling.

- Respondents were filtered for completion quality (e.g., speeding), and responses with incomplete or invalid data were excluded from analysis.

- No imputation was applied.

- The poll, with a median completion time of approximately 5.6 minutes, has a margin of error of ±2.2%

The Adam Smith Institute is one of the world’s leading think tanks. It is ranked first in the world among independent think tanks and as the best domestic and international economic policy think tank in the UK by the University of Pennsylvania. Independent, non-profit and non-partisan, the Institute is at the forefront of making the case for free markets and a free society, through education, research, publishing, and media outreach.

Adam Smith Insights is a new type of data and polling organisation, with a special focus on economics and policy change. Through analysis of public sentiment, we reshape what is politically possible. We help construct reforms which will be more popular and successful, while exposing the failings of our current system. Through a range of quantitative and qualitative methods, we equip policy makers with the right insights to shift the agenda and change reality. We operate globally, with data and analysis covering all regions.

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