LONDON, April 24 -- As their purchasing power falls, consumers are doing everything they can to save money, which could ultimately lead to a decline in smoking. In England, the price of tobacco is slowly but surely driving more and more smokers to stub out their last cigarette. According to a new study, one adult in four now sees the cost of smoking as a key motive for kicking the habit once and for all.

Long maligned in many countries, particularly in Europe, could the steady rise in tobacco prices finally prove to be a deterrent? It would seem so, if only because of the fall in purchasing power suffered by consumers, as revealed by a new study conducted by UK researchers.

They examined the main reasons given by a sample of adults in E...