VAPE NATION
A rising number of people are turning to e-cigarettes
NEARLY three million people in Great Britain now vape, as e-cigarettes are increasingly being used by smokers to help them quit.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that 5.7% of people aged 16 and over were using e-cigarettes in 2019.
That’s down slightly from 6.3% in 2018 - not considered a significant drop by the ONS - but up from just 3.7% in 2014, when comparable records begin.
The figures show that while 15.5% of cigarette smokers and 11.7% of ex-smokers are currently vapers, that falls to just 0.4% of people who have never smoked - putting the lie to concerns that e-cigarettes might encourage non-smokers to become addicted to nicotine.
A further 4.5% of people who have never smoked a cigarette have tried vaping, but didn’t continue to do so.
In a recent evidence review, Public Health England found that vaping poses a small fraction of the risk of smoking and that when e-cigarettes are used as part of a quit attempt, success rates are comparable with or higher than licensed medication alone.
The Welsh Government has reported that the most common reason for using e-cigarettes was to help stop smoking tobacco - which is also apparent from the ONS figures.
The data, which comes from the annual Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, shows the main reason for using e-cigarettes was as an aid to stop smoking - which was the case for 50.6% of vapers.
A further 14.8% said it was because they perceived them to be less harmful than cigarettes, while 10.4% said it was because they enjoy it, and 9.2% said it was because vaping is cheaper than tobacco products.
Meanwhile, 2.3% said it was because of the range of different flavours available, 2.2% because e-cigarettes can be used indoors, and 2.0% because it’s something they do with their friends.
The remaining 8.5% said it was for other reasons.
For the first time since this data began to be collected, no vapers said the main reason they had for using e-cigarettes was because of their novelty - down from 3.3% in 2016.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “ASH is delighted that vaping has become the most popular quitting aid for smokers as e-cigarettes significantly increase the likelihood that smokers will quit and stay quit.
“We all want to stay healthy at this difficult time with coronavirus still a threat to us all. If you’re a smoker the most important thing you can do for your health is to quit, and switching to vaping can help you succeed.
“Vaping is not risk free, and it’s not advisable for non-smokers, but it’s many times less harmful than smoking."