Latest Vaping Trends in England 2022

Vaping has come a long way since 2014, let's look at the current trends

11 February 2022 | Hannah Rubery

As of 2020, the top vaping countries in the world are China, UK, and US with many European countries following closely behind. During these last few years vaping has seen an increase in popularity and with it, conflicting messages on vaping safety and harm reduction. That’s why studies into the current trends of vaping are important. They help us assess how E-Cigarettes are faring with the populace, and how we can help where things are looking down.

For this E-Cigarette survey, the Smoking in England research team from the University College London reached out to 1800 people last year.

E-Cigarettes are here to stay

The survey results found that E-Cigarette usage in adults has remained relatively stable since 2013 but there are signs of vaping becoming more popular over the last couple years. This could be attested to the boom in disposable vapes however the usage of JUUL devices which were popular in 2018 remained relatively low. Although using E-Cigarettes for quitting has declined from its peak in 2016 there are signs of it increasing again over the last year.

E-Cigarettes used by never-smokers remains rare in the UK but usage among long-term ex-smokers has grown – certainly a positive note! The first step to quitting are making the change and even though half of E-Cigarette users are ‘dual users’ (who also smoke), not everyone can completely cut cigarettes out from their life just as easily as others. Interestingly there are higher numbers of those who use other NRTs (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) who are also ‘dual users’ and continue to smoke.

Disposables are not that popular

Of those who smoke or have stopped smoking it was noted that the most common type of E-Cigarette used for both smokers and ex-smokers, were rechargeable devices with refillable tanks. Disposables were interestingly very low in popularity with these two demographics. Unsurprisingly, E-Cigarette use amongst older smokers remains the least popular while in comparison, other NRTs are low amongst younger smokers.

For smokers though, E-Cigarette usage has plateaued and in the case of ex-smokers, declined from 2016. Now this isn’t necessarily negative, ex-smokers vaping less could potentially mean more people quitting nicotine for good, but this is just speculation! There is still a decline in long-term cigarette smoking so the news can only be positive.

E-Cigarettes are less harmful than smoking

An unfortunate side effect of the major outcry from organisations like the WHO that slam vaping. We are currently witnessing the largest proportion of current smokers who believe vaping is equally harmful or more so, since vaping began.

As of October 2021, 48% of people from the survey stated they thought vaping was either equally or more harmful than smoking, with 25% stating they were unsure. This large shift in opinion happened around January 2020 and although it has dropped a little since then, these figures are worrying.

It was around this time that stories began to crop up of EVALIs (E-Cigarette or Vaping Product Use Associated Lung Injury) and E-Cigarettes blowing up which have since been challenged. Reports of EVALIs in the US were found to actually be caused by illicit THC vapes and many of the issues from E-Cigarettes blowing up were found to be caused by changes made when modding their devices. Although there is still harm involved with E-Cigarettes it is universally agreed upon by experts, including the NHS, that they are less harmful than cigarettes.

Vapers are choosing to shop online

Purchases from specialist shops have seen a decline since 2016 with the rise in non-specialist shops starting to stock vaping supplies. These could include supermarkets and petrol stations – the convenient option for many shoppers. Similarly, online has seen a rise in sales, especially with the pandemic which has created a boom in popularity for online shopping.


In conclusion, E-Cigarette usage has remained relatively stable since 2013 with the current use of E-Cigarettes by never-smokers remaining rare. Positively, we are still seeing a long-term decline in smoking since 2007 but whether we’ll meet the government's smoke-free deadline by 2030, is yet to be seen. What do you think of these findings, would you agree with them? Let us know in the comments…