According to a recent poll conducted by Reuters, 10% of all adults and 15% of adults under 40 currently vape.
Some other interesting numbers from the poll:
- The most interesting number is the fact that 70% of current vapers started vaping in the last year, showing how the popularity of vaping has exploded recently.
- Approximately 50% of vapers said that friends and family persuaded them to start vaping. Word of mouth has been huge in contributing to the expansion of the vape market.
- 40% said they started vaping because they could use them indoors and because they were cheaper in the long run.
- 80% of vapers said that vaping was “a good way to quit smoking”. Only 40% of all adults agreed, meaning that there is a disconnect between the reality of vaping and the way it is perceived by the general population.
- Regular cigarette use is dropping, with only 19% of adults smoking.
While these numbers are great for the vaping industry, it also explains why so much negative attention has been focused on the industry. When an industry that is run almost entirely by small companies somehow manages to take away huge chunks of the profits of both pharmaceutical and big tobacco companies, don’t expect them to go down without a fight. They have been aggressively lobbying state governments and the FDA in an attempt to destroy this industry. Whether they succeed or not remains to be seen.