WVS NEWS: UK and Dutch data suggests flavour bans could alter vaping
The small online survey included 548 responses sourced from social media in an effort to skew towards younger vapers. Respondents listed how they felt about various commonly proposed vaping regulations in five categories, ranging from “strongly oppose” to “strongly support”. The survey also included space at the end for participants to provide context and further commentary about their decisions.
Overall, the results suggested vapers would be in support of a degree of regulation to lessen the chances of vulnerable groups – such as youth or, more generally, the nicotine naive – taking up vaping.
UK vapers draw line at disposable bans and price rises
However, these vapers felt some lines should not be crossed. The introduction of flavour restrictions would drive many either to the black market or back to conventional cigarettes. Disposable bans and price rises may also lead to increased black market activity, the surveyed vapers said.
Similarly, the introduction of a disposables ban worried many. Comments suggested that not being able to pick up a cheap replacement while on a night out could lead to the purchase of conventional cigarettes if there is a problem with the owner’s original device.
It should be noted just over half (50.5%) said they were current smokers (though most didn’t smoke daily), while the remaining half divided almost evenly between former smokers (26.8%) and never smokers (22.6%). Nearly half said they also used disposables (44.7%), with refillables second at 42% and pods at 13.3%.
Additionally, the majority of participants were very young, with nearly half (45.8%) aged 16 to 17 and over three-quarters (76.3%) aged 24 or under. The majority (59.1%) used 20 mg/ml strength e-liquid – significantly more than the next most reported level, 6 mg/ml, at 11.3%, with all other categories reported by fewer than 10% of respondents. Use of flavours had a similar split, with fruit used by 56.8% of respondents, menthol/mint by 10.8% and no other category being higher than the 6% using tobacco flavour.
UK responses differ from Dutch reaction to flavour ban
But preliminary results from another survey – this time in the Netherlands – suggest the lines in the sand drawn by UK vapers may not be as consequentially dire as they claim. The Dutch survey conducted by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) found instead that the introduction of a flavour ban in the country had led to most consumers who had quit vaping because of the ban not switching to a substitute, such as going back to smoking a conventional tobacco product.
In the survey of more than 500 vaping adolescents and young adults as well as 450 adults, 22% indicated they had completely stopped vaping because of the flavour ban and 40% had reduced their consumption. Daily vaping in these groups had dropped from 29% to 18%, weekly use had dropped from 30% to 14% and monthly use had dropped from 42% to 16%. As these were initial results, further details or definitions (such as the age bands for the groups) were not provided. A spokesperson for the RIVM declined to provide further details to ECigIntelligence at this time, saying the full survey would be released later this year.
The RIVM added that illicit purchases appeared to mostly happen through vapers crossing the border to buy from bricks-and-mortar stores in Germany. The researchers advocated for an EU-wide flavour ban to make cross-border purchases more difficult, increasing the effectiveness of the national ban.
This appears to contradict a prior survey conducted by the Dutch vaping consumer association Acvoda. That study found Dutch consumers were buying e-cigarettes across the border in larger numbers. The Acvoda survey took in 907 vapers with an average age of 52. It found nearly a third (30%) continue purchasing non-tobacco flavoured vaping products online. In total, 80% said they were bypassing the ban through various means, such as illicit street purchases or online sales, and 10% had turned back to conventional cigarettes.
Inconclusive without more information
Without the full RIVM report, it is difficult to assess the extent to which users had turned to the black market or to understand how information like the method of sourcing respondents could have an impact on the results. It should also be noted that both the Dutch and UK studies surveyed a relatively small numbers of vapers, which can limit the potential applicability of the results.
As it stands though, it appears UK restrictions targeting non menthol/mint or tobacco flavours would have a wide impact on users. Similarly, any restrictions on the sale of disposables or limiting nicotine strength (as proposed but not approved during the debate over the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill) would also impact majority of current vapers.
The results of the Dutch RIVM survey perhaps suggest threats that vapers would go back to smoking if further restrictions were brought in are overblown. But it is hard to directly compare without more Dutch data. The rate of dual use amongst the UK vapers must be high, given half said they were still smoking some amount. This would suggest backsliding into smoking would be easier – though without knowing continued smoking rates amongst the Dutch vapers surveyed, a definitive answer is difficult.
– Freddie Dawson ECigIntelligence senior contributing editor
