Nearly 3m people used vapes to quit smoking in last five years

Vapes are now the most popular stop-smoking aid among those who have successfully quit, according to new analysis from ASH.

Around 5.6m adults in the UK – roughly 11 per cent of the adult population – currently vape, more than half of whom have stopped smoking. Among people who have successfully quit in the last five years, around 2.7m people used vapes to do so, the charity points out. Of the 5.6m vapers, 39 per cent are still smoking and 8 per cent have never smoked.

The survey also found that half of adults mistakenly believe that vaping is just as – or more – harmful than smoking, representing ‘high levels of public misperception’. For smokers who had never vaped, 60 per cent believed that vapes were as harmful, or more harmful, than smoking, compared with 24 per cent of ex-smokers who had quit in the last five years.

The data is based on analysis of YouGov’s annual survey of e-cigarette use, which has been carried out since 2010 and updated to include results from 2024.

ASH is calling for a new tobacco and vapes bill to be introduced urgently to address high levels of teen vaping, but wants to ensure that the new regulations don’t ‘undermine the value of vapes for those smoking’. Although the bill was shelved by the previous government it was included in the King’s Speech in July this year.

‘Millions of people have used vapes to successfully stop smoking in recent years, increasing healthy life expectancy,’ said ASH deputy chief executive Hazel Cheeseman. ‘Tougher vape regulations are urgently needed, but it is important they are calibrated to address youth vaping while not deterring use of vapes as quitting aids. Smoking is still the country’s biggest preventable killer and vaping is one of many tools needed to help smokers quit if we are to create a smokefree country for current as well as future generations.’

There was also an urgent need to tackle the increase in ‘dangerous misperceptions’ around vaping, added professor of addictions public health at King’s College London, Leonie Brose. ‘More than half of people who smoke long-term will die prematurely due to smoking. Alarmingly, half of those who smoke think vaping is just as harmful or more harmful and almost as many are unaware that nicotine-containing medication is less harmful than smoking. These misperceptions are costing lives and we need continued focus on reducing the harms from smoking.’

Survey results available here