More than three million Brits now vaping

A new survey by Action on Smoking and Health has revealed that the number of people vaping in Great Britain has topped three million for the first time.

YouGov surveyed over 12,000 adults for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and found, alongside the findings of a King’s College London analysis, that there are now 3.2 million vapers in Great Britain, with half of that figure having quit smoking and 40 per cent currently smokers who are trying to quit. Data shows that there are currently an estimated 7.4 million smokers in the UK.

Despite the fact that there are now four times the number of papers than six years ago, approximately a third of smokers say they have never tried an e-cigarette, with concerns about addiction topping the list of reasons why. Whilst ASH claims that smokers are now getting the message that switching to vaping could improve their health, 22 per cent of people still think that vaping is as bad or worse than smoking. In fact, one in four adults believe it to be as harmful as tobacco.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, said: “UK policy is on the right track with thousands of smokers making the switch to vaping and improving their health and little sign of non-smokers taking up vaping. But even more smokers could benefit if e-cigarettes were licenced as medicines and available on prescription.”

Dr Leonie Brose, King’s College London, said: “The continued false belief among some smokers that vaping is as bad as smoking is worrying. Campaigns from Public Health England and others to challenge these views are important and must continue.”