Vape popularity plateauing in Britain, study finds

The rapid rise of vaping that began when disposable vapes became popular in 2021 appears to have stalled in Britain, according to a new study by UCL researchers.

The study, published in the journal Addiction and funded by Cancer Research UK, looked at survey data on vaping habits in England, Wales and Scotland before and after the UK government announced plans to restrict vaping, including by banning disposable vapes, in January 2024.

The team found that the proportion of people vaping increased by nearly a quarter each year from January 2022 to January 2024, but stayed constant between January 2024 and January this year, including for young people.

After January 2024, they also found a substantial decline in the proportion of vapers mainly using disposable vapes. Among 16- to 24-year-olds, the proportion mainly using disposables almost halved, from 63 per cent to 35 per cent.

“Action is likely still required to reduce high vaping rates, but now that the situation has stabilised policymakers may be reassured that it would be sensible to avoid stricter policy options currently under review. Some of the options being considered may be more likely to have the unintended consequence of deterring smokers from using vapes to quit smoking,” lead author Dr Sarah Jackson, of UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said.

“Our results also suggest that the government’s ban on disposables, coming into force in June, may have limited impact on vaping rates in general, given that vapers are already moving away from disposable vapes. It seems likely that people using these products will move to re-usable versions rather than stop vaping completely.

“The study highlights the value of up-to-date information about vaping and smoking trends, which allow policies to be based on the best possible evidence.

“The research cannot tell us why vaping rates have levelled off, but we have in the past seen changes in smoking habits before a policy change, with people adapting their behaviour in anticipation of a new policy.”

The UK government announced plans to ban disposable vapes in January 2024. This ban will come into force on 1 June this year. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently working its way through Parliament, includes powers to potentially restrict the packaging, marketing and flavours of vapes.

senior author Professor Jamie Brown, also of UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, added: “While it is understandable that policymakers want to take action to reduce vaping among children and never smokers, smoking remains the number one public health priority. These findings should reassure policymakers that they can prioritise measures, such as restrictions on marketing, packaging and display, which are least likely to undermine how helpful vapes are for people trying to quit smoking.

“It is important that these measures are introduced alongside other messaging and policies that continue to encourage and support smokers to quit smoking, such as mass media campaigns and the swap to stop scheme.”

For the study, researchers used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, an ongoing survey that interviews a different representative sample of adults in England, Wales and Scotland each month. They looked at data collected between January 2022 and January 2025 from 88,611 people (16 and over).

They found that, between January 2022 and January 2024, the prevalence of vaping among those 16 and over increased from 8.9 per cent to 13.5 per cent. For those aged 16 to 24, prevalence increased from 17 per cent to 26.5 per cent.

In January 2024, nearly half (43.6 per cent) of all vapers aged 16 and over mainly used disposables. This fell to less than a third (29.4 per cent) a year later. The fall was steeper among 16- to 24-year-olds.

Commenting on the findings, Markus Lindblad, nicotine expert and director at Haypp, said: “These findings should make the government stop and think before they decide how to implement the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Introducing measures to prevent youth access to nicotine products is the right thing to do, but these need to be targeted. Heavy-handed measures such as blanket bans on products or flavours will have the effect of turning adult smokers away from vaping and may not effectively address underage vaping in any case.

“Unnecessarily strict regulation could see the UK throwing the baby out with the bathwater by demonising vaping and discouraging people from switching from cigarettes to vapes.”