Study: One million people who never smoked vape regularly.

A new study shows that up to one million adults who never smoked regularly now vape.

Researchers at University College London have concluded that the number of adult vapers in England has increased dramatically since 2021 when disposable ecigarettes became popular. The UK has seen an increase of seven-fold in just three years. Most new vapers are now vaping every day and for a long period.

The increase in e-cigarette use was driven primarily by young adults. One-seventh of 18-24 year-olds (14%) never smoked regularly are now using electronic cigarettes.

Researchers found that despite the increase in vaping by people who have never smoked, vaping has been leveling off among adults in England since the beginning of 2023.

The study, , published in the journal Lancet Public Health, and funded by Cancer Research UK examined survey data collected from 2016 to 2024, and surveyed 153,073 adults in England (18 years and older), of which 94,107 never smoked tobacco regularly.

The lead author, Dr Sarah Jackson from UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care said: “The impact of the substantial increase in vaping among those who have never smoked regularly will depend on what they would be doing otherwise.

“It’s likely that many would have smoked had vaping not been an option. Vaping is less harmful in this situation. Vaping is more dangerous than smoking for people who wouldn’t have smoked.

Researchers used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study. This is an ongoing survey which interviews a representative sample of adult in England every month.

Survey respondents were classed as never-regular-smokers if, when asked what statement about smoking habits best applied to them, they chose the statement: ‘I have never been a smoker (i.e. Smoked for at least a year.

Researchers noted that the population of people who vape is larger than those who never smoked. They also said that estimates for vaping prevalence among non-smokers would have likely been lower.

Prior to 2021, the proportion of never-regular-smokers who vaped in England was rare, at an average of 0.5% between 2016 and 2020. By April 2024 this had risen to 3.5%, which is equivalent to about one million vapers. More than half of these (an estimated 588,000 vapers) were between the ages of 18 and 24.

The sharpest increase in the never-regular-smokers group was among those classed as the heaviest drinkers (of all ages), of whom 22% vaped.

The figures are compared to 3.0% and 1.3% for those who drink alcohol at low risk levels or do not consume any alcohol. The authors suggest that vaping is more common in people who might otherwise smoke.

Across the period 2021 to 2024, most adult vapers who had never regularly smoked vaped daily, and this increased so that in April 2024, more than four times as many never-regular-smokers reported vaping daily than non-daily (2.9% vs. 0.6%).

Researchers also found that vapers who never smoked regularly had a different profile since disposable e cigarettes became popular. These vapers tend to be younger and more female in recent years. They also drink at higher or increasing risk levels.

They also tended to have been vaping for longer (in 2023/24, 68% had vaped for more than a year), were more likely to use disposable devices and the highest-strength nicotine e-liquids, and to buy their products from supermarkets/convenience stores.

The senior author, Professor Jamie Brown of the Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care said, “These findings remind us that we need to take action to reduce vaping among youth who have never smoked. To avoid discouraging smokers who want to quit using ecigarettes, it is important to strike a balance.

The UK government’s plan to ban disposables is unlikely fix the problem as many popular brands already have reusable products available with similar designs and price points.

It would be sensible to implement stricter regulations around the appearance, packaging, and marketing of products, since these are less likely than, for example, flavour bans, to reduce the effectiveness e-cigarettes in helping smokers quit.

The fact that the overall prevalence of vaping appears to be levelling off since 2023 could reassure policymakers, adding Professor Brown, that it is reasonable to start with these measures and evaluate their impact.