The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the data from their Annual Population Survey (APS) in the latest edition of the ‘Adult smoking habits in the UK’ statistical bulletin, which is the official measure for smoking prevalence in England. The data has revealed that smoking rates are continuing to fall year-on-year as more people are using e-cigarettes as an alternative.
Smoking rates drop to 12.9% in the UK
The data, which is produced in partnership with the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (OHID), has identified that the smoking rate for people aged 18 and over in the UK was down to 12.9%, or 6.4 million people, in 2022. This is down from 13.3% the year before and shows a huge decrease from the 20.2% recorded in 2011 when records began.
The survey is a cross-governmental approach which aims to improve the available statistics on tobacco and e-cigarette use in the UK and is used to track the progress against the Tobacco Control Plan for England and the Khan review.
The Tobacco Control Plan aimed to reduce smoking prevalence in adults in England to 12% by the end of 2022, and the survey has identified that England has the lowest rates in the UK at 12.7%, suggesting that there is certainly progress being made towards this goal. Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales recorded rates of 13.9%, 14%, and 14.1%, respectively.
4.5 million UK vapers
The bulletin also included information gathered in the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) which found that 8.7% of people in Britain currently use an e-cigarette either daily or occasionally, which equates to a whopping 4.5 million vapers.
This is up from 7.7% of people in 2021 and continues the clear correlation between the increased popularity of e-cigarettes and the continuing decline in smoking rates.
These vapers are predominantly either current cigarette smokers, who are also often referred to as dual-users as they use both an e-cigarette and traditional cigarettes, and ex-smokers, with only around 2.4% of never smokers reporting daily or occasional vaping.
Additionally, the survey found that 45.4% of people who currently smoke stated that they intend to quit smoking, with 22% hoping to quit in the next 3 months at the time of the interview.
The switch from smoking to vaping
OHID confirmed in their Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking, and the most recent Cochrane report has identified e-cigarettes as being twice as effective as nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) which are often prescribed to patients, like nicotine patches and gum.
In the years since e-cigarettes became widely available in 2011 smoking prevalence in the UK has continued to drop year-on-year, as more and more people have decided to make the switch to vaping as an effective and safer alternative to smoking.
The strict regulations that England has put in place have made us a leading authority on how e-cigarettes can be an extremely effective tool in tackling smoking, with the Government even announcing the ‘swap to stop’ scheme earlier this year which will see one million smokers provided with a vaping starter kit. We took a closer look at this scheme in our blog post ‘Government supports vaping with 'swap to stop' scheme’.
Not only can e-cigarettes be beneficial to the individual, but a new study from Brunel University London has identified that if 50% of current smokers made the switch from traditional cigarettes to an e-cigarette it could save the NHS an incredible £518 million per year.
Tackling youth vaping
Earlier this year the Government announced a call for evidence which focused on reducing the access that under age people have to vaping products, while still ensuring they are easily available to adult smokers as a smoking cessation tool.
We also encouraged stricter fines to those shops who are found to be selling vaping products to minors, putting forth the recommendation for the introduction of a £10,000 on-the-spot fine which we believe would act as a strong deterrent to illegally selling vaping products to those who are under age.
Minimising our environmental impact
Another focus that media outlets have taken is the environmental impact of vaping, particularly that of disposable vapes.
Disposable vapes have become extremely popular over the last couple of years, and unfortunately the nature of these products has led to an increase in the amount of vaping waste that it ending up in landfill. However, this is not something that the vaping industry is taking lightly, and the unexpected popularity of disposables has led us to focus heavily on how we can combat their impact and behave in a more environmentally conscious way.
From the introduction of recyclable disposable vapes, to more clarity on how to responsibly dispose of vaping products, the vaping industry is working hard to minimise the impact of vaping and circulate information on best practices to our customers.
While tackling youth vaping and minimising the environmental impact of disposable vapes are both extremely important, we hope that the fantastic statistics revealed in this survey can be celebrated in their own right as a huge success and a great step towards the aim of a smokefree future in Great Britain.
At a glance
·Smoking rates have dropped to 12.9% in the UK, equating to 6.4 million people, in 2022, the lowest since records began
·Britain now has 4.5 million vapers with 8.7% of people currently using an e-cigarette either daily or occasionally
·45.4% of current smokers reported that they intend to quit smoking, with 22% hoping to quit in the next 3 months