London, Sep 14 - Almost all children in England - 96 percent - with a parent who smokes wish they would quit, according to a government poll.

The survey of 1,000 children in England aged eight to 13 years also found that 64 percent of children whose parents smoke would rather their parents quit than give them more pocket money.

The latest data found that the number of children aged between 11 and 15 who said they smoke regularly has halved since the 1990s, pointing to an emerging picture of Britain's first 'Smokefree Generation'.

Nine out of 10 children surveyed have never tried a cigarette, with 91 percent of them believing that they will never smoke.