Great Britain: the number of vapers has increased fivefold in ten years

A national study reveals that in Great Britain, 8.3 million adults, or 4.3 million people, vape regularly. Among them are 350,000 non-smokers, including an increase of 60 million in a single year.

The YouGov study, conducted this year among 13,000 adults in England, Scotland and Wales, found that there are 4.3 million regular vapers in Great Britain, or 8.3 million adults.[1]A segment of the population that is clearly increasing, since there were only 800,000 (or 1.7 %) ten years ago, five times less.

Among these regular vapers, 2.4 million are ex-smokers, 1.5 million are still smokers and 350,000 have never smoked tobacco. More than half (56%) have been vaping for more than three years. The proportion of people who vape regularly without having ever smoked is growing sharply, from 4.9 % in 2021 to 8.1 % in 2022, an increase of 60 % in a single year, a phenomenon explained in particular by the rapid spread of disposable e-cigarettes ("puff") among young people. The use of these disposable e-cigarettes concerned, in 2022, 15 % of regular vapers, compared to 2.3 % in 2021. 48 % of 18-24 year-olds reported having already tried at least one form of vaping.

More than a third of vapers

35% of these regular vapers in 2022 are also tobacco smokers, commonly referred to as dual use. Smokers who vape daily report smoking fewer cigarettes than smokers who vape irregularly.

One in five ex-smokers said they quit smoking with the help of an e-cigarette, but nearly half of smokers who tried vaping later quit, and 28% of current smokers had never tried it. Of all adults surveyed, a third believe vaping is at least as harmful or more harmful than smoking.

A worrying increase among adolescents

At the same time, the organization Action on Smoking and Health (ASH UK) published, in July, the results of a similar study (YouGov youth), conducted annually among young people aged 11 to 17.[2]The organization is alerted to the increase in regular vaping among adolescents, which rose from 4 % in 2020 to 7% in 2022, as well as the increase in experimentation with electronic cigarettes, which rose from 14 % in 2020 to 16% in 2022. In this population, the use of disposable electronic cigarettes is growing very rapidly, rising from 7 % in 2020 to 8 % in 2021 and to 52 % in 2022, a sevenfold increase in two years. 70 % of this "puff" market is held by two brands, Elf Bar and Geek Bar. Fruity flavors are the favorites of young people (57 %), followed by menthol flavors.

The ASH UK study draws attention to illegal sales of these products to minors, nearly half of which (47 %) are made in stores. ASH UK also cites a "mystery shopper" study, conducted in early 2022 with minors, which indicates that 33 % of stores agree to sell these products to minors, the highest proportions being distributed between purchases by mobile phone (50 %) and in discount stores (52 %). ASH UK also highlights the proliferation, particularly on the black market, of disposable e-cigarettes intended for the American market, which offer higher nicotine strengths and capacities than those authorized in Europe and the United Kingdom.

"The government says a 'vaping revolution' will help it achieve its ambition of a tobacco-free country by 2030, but it won't be enough. We need a comprehensive plan to help all smokers." said Hazel Cheesemain, Deputy Director of ASH UK. The organization is calling on the government to allocate £15 million to local authorities to strengthen enforcement of the ban on sales to minors. It also points to the intense promotion of vaping on social media and places a responsibility on public authorities to enforce the current regulations.

Questioning the place of vaping in public policies

Although the British government is celebrating the "vaping revolution" underway in Britain, the results are rather mixed. The YouGov survey data was only shared with the national news agency PA, which isn't exactly a guarantee of transparency.

In a briefing to local authorities, ASH UK acknowledges that the use of e-cigarettes is not without risk and is completely contraindicated for minors and non-smokers.[3]The organization is also calling for tighter controls on the age of sale of tobacco and nicotine products to minors, and an effective ban on advertising and promotion of these products on the internet. While acknowledging that these e-cigarettes will not be enough to end the smoking epidemic, ASH UK nevertheless denies a gateway effect that leads young vapers to smoke and regularly highlights the role of e-cigarettes in helping people stop smoking.

This policy, however, is not unanimous and is currently limited to the United Kingdom and New Zealand. In an article published on July 30, Dr. Des Cox, a pulmonologist, criticizes the British anti-smoking policy, which is mainly based on replacing smoking with the use of electronic cigarettes.[4]. Drawing on data from the YouGov Youth study by ASH UK, he highlights the role of disposable e-cigarettes in introducing young non-smokers to nicotine, which many are calling for to be banned. He believes that the gateway effect of e-cigarettes to smoking is very real, in a ratio of 3 to 5, and that this point must be weighed against the benefits observed for adults who have stopped smoking with the help of these electronic devices. He considers that the British position, which is mainly based on a 2013 expert synthesis, should be put into perspective and further guided by more robust studies, such as meta-analyses and systematic literature reviews. Finally, he notes that, unlike in the United Kingdom, the Irish national guide to stopping smoking makes no reference to the role of e-cigarettes.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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