The analysis found that the proportion of adults in the UK who vape is at an all-time high, and the number of people who both smoke and vape has doubled in the past three years.
The number of smokers who use both cigarettes and e-cigarettes is growing from 17% in 2021 to 32% in 2024, which equates to 2.2 million people.
Analysis by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) based on data collected by YouGov found that 5.6 million adults in the UK use e-cigarettes, around 11% of the adult population.
The study found that more than half (53%) of e-cigarette users are former smokers, which amounts to three million people.
Among all former smokers (including those who currently use e-cigarettes and those who have stopped smoking), the median duration of e-cigarette use was 2 years.
But in the past three years, Ash found that more than half of vapers who were former smokers had been vaping for three or more years, a significant increase from 18% in 2017, when the question was first asked as part of the analysis.
Labour said it would revive the previous Conservative government’s Tobacco and Vaping Bill, which aims to ban anyone born after January 2009 from buying cigarettes and eventually phase out tobacco smoking. The bill could also lead to restrictions on e-cigarette flavours, packaging and display.
Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of Ash, said: “Smoking remains the biggest preventable cause of death in this country and e-cigarettes are one of many tools we need to help smokers quit if we are to create a smoke-free nation for current and future generations.”
“In recent years, millions of people have used e-cigarettes to successfully quit smoking, improving their health and life expectancy and increasing national productivity. Strengthened regulation of e-cigarettes is urgently needed, but it is important that regulations are tailored to address youth e-cigarette use without discouraging the use of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid.”
Henry Gregg, external relations director at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “Quitting smoking can be incredibly difficult so it’s fantastic to see that so many smokers are finding e-cigarettes a really effective quitting aid.”
“But to help as many smokers as possible quit, it’s vital that the Government increases investment in local smoking cessation services. Although these services have been significantly cut in recent years, they still play a fantastic role in helping people quit smoking for good and address smoking’s deadly legacy.”
“More than half of long-term smokers will die prematurely as a result of their smoking,” said Leonie Broads, professor of addiction and public health at King’s College London.
“Shockingly, half of smokers believe e-cigarettes are as harmful or more harmful than smoking, and almost the same number are unaware that nicotine-containing medicines are less harmful than smoking. These misconceptions are costing lives, and we need to continue to focus on reducing the harms of smoking.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “E-cigarettes can be an effective way to quit smoking, but the health advice is clear: children and adults who do not smoke should never use e-cigarettes.”
“The upcoming Tobacco and E-Cigarette Bill will protect future generations from the harms of tobacco and nicotine, save thousands of lives and reduce the strain on the NHS. By building a healthier society, we will help build a healthy economy.”
