British Vaping Association Applauds New Government Report: Vaping Will Make Smoking History

2022-12-14

Blue Hole New Consumer Report, December 7th, according to foreign reports, according to new data from the British government, the smoking rate in the UK has dropped to only 13.3% - the lowest level since records began, which shows that e-cigarettes are on the decline played a major role.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show smoking prevalence in 2021 is down from a low of 14.0% in 2020, meaning there are around 6.6 million smokers in the UK.

Based on estimates from the Annual Population Survey (APS), this is the lowest proportion of current smokers since records began in 2011, the ONS said.

John Dunn, Director General of UKVIA, the British Vaping Association, said: "This is absolutely great news and I'm delighted that the UK's e-cigarette industry is playing a part in making this happen.

"The government must now redouble its efforts to ensure its 2030 smoke-free targets are back on track so that smoking can finally become a thing of the past."

"Unfortunately, this will not happen unless Javid Khan's recent recommendations on smoking, which call for e-cigarettes to be a key pillar of the government's smoke-free strategy, are implemented."

“Now more than ever, it is important that we capitalize on this momentum to reach the 13.3% of the adult population who are still smoking and provide them with the facts that they need to switch to vaping.”

The Director-General added: "Vape horror stories that are completely unsubstantiated may be great for hits in the mainstream media, but when they keep smokers on their cigarettes, they have deadly consequences.

"UKVIA called for misinformation to be effectively tackled in our better regulation blueprint, and we are repeating that call today because it will save lives."

"We must allow e-cigarette companies to use agreed health claims and switching messages to encourage adult smokers to switch to vaping, and take full advantage of the different communication methods available to governments and public health agencies."

"We call on governments, regulators and health services to come together and work with the vaping industry so smokers have access to evidence-based information so they can make informed decisions about switching to vaping."

The ONS figures show Scotland has the highest smoking rate (14.8%), followed by Wales (14.1%), Northern Ireland (13.8%) and England (13.0%).


Devices such as e-cigarettes have played a major role in the decline in smoking rates in the UK, the report said.

"In this bulletin we report an increase in vaping use, and organizations such as Action on Smoking Health (ASH) have reported a similar increase in vaping among adults in the UK."

Across the UK, 15.1% of men and 11.5% of women smoke, a trend that has remained unchanged since 2011.

The 25-34 age group had the highest percentage of current smokers (15.8%), while the 65 and over age group had the lowest percentage (8.0%).

Those without qualifications were more likely to be current smokers (28.2%) than those whose highest level of education was a degree or equivalent (6.6%).

The ONS report - Smoking Habits of Adults in the UK: 2021 said: "In the UK, 7.7% of Opinion and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) respondents aged 16 and over said they currently smoke daily or occasionally."

"This equates to approximately 4 million adults; an increase from estimates in 2020, when 6.4% reported daily or occasional e-cigarette use."
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