Young adults are more likely to give up smoking and switch to vaping if they understand the reduced harm of vaping, according to a new study. However, many inaccurately believe that vaping is as bad for you or worse than smoking.

The study, conducted by researchers from Brighton and Sussex Medical School, found that young adults who smoked at age 23/24 and perceived vaping as less harmful were more likely to switch to vaping six years later. 

Lead author Dr Katherine East, Associate Professor in Public Health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said: “There is a lot of misinformation circulating that vaping is as bad as smoking or even worse. While vaping is not without risks, the evidence is clear that vaping is much less harmful than smoking and can help people successfully quit smoking.

“Unfortunately, misperceptions of vaping harms continue to increase, and we have found in our study that this could deter young adults who smoke from switching to vaping (a less harmful behaviour). In England in 2024, 85% of adults who smoked inaccurately perceived that vaping is equally or more harmful than smoking or did not know the relative harms, an increase from 59% ten years before.”

Professor Ann McNeill, Co-author and Professor of Tobacco Addiction at King’s College London, added: “Smoking is uniquely deadly and will kill one in two regular sustained smokers, yet most people who smoke do not know vaping is less harmful and can help them to stop smoking completely. Our study shows the importance of addressing vaping misperceptions among people who smoke.”

Dr Jasmine Khouja, Senior Author and Senior Research Associate, Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Programme, said: “The study highlights the need for interventions to improve the pervasive misperceptions about vaping that are currently observed among people who smoke.

“In recent years, we've seen a growing number of people believe that vaping is equally or more harmful than smoking. Our study shows that these beliefs could be stopping some people from switching from to vaping as a less harmful alternative. It is important for people who smoke to understand that although vapes are not risk-free, switching to vaping could dramatically reduce their risk of developing smoking-related diseases."

The data for this study were drawn from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), with funding from the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA). The full study is available at Oxford Academic here.