New data from more than 3,700 active vapers shows the affect outdoor restrictions, being considered under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, could have on vape retailers.
Online vape retailer Vape UK has published findings from what is believed to be the largest survey of active vapers ever conducted in the UK vaping retail sector — covering more than 3,700 customers and examining the likely behavioural impact of proposed outdoor vaping restrictions — with nearly half of respondents indicating they may return to cigarettes if the restrictions are introduced.
Forty-five per cent of respondents said outdoor restrictions could lead them to smoke cigarettes in situations where they currently vape, with a further 31% saying they would look for ways around any restriction.
Key findings
- 92% of respondents currently vape in outdoor public spaces, with 69% doing so regularly
- 76% switched from cigarettes and say outdoor vaping access is important to staying smoke-free
- 45% said restrictions might lead them to smoke cigarettes in situations where they currently vape
- 64% oppose restrictions in outdoor dining areas, pub gardens and sports grounds, arguing outdoor spaces are categorically different from indoor environments
- 85% want any restrictions to be time-limited and subject to evidence-based review
Vape UK is calling on the government to adopt a proportionate, evidence-based approach to outdoor vaping regulation under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 — one that distinguishes between indoor and outdoor environments and reflects the established harm differential between vaping and smoking.
The Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (previously called Public Health England) has consistently found vaping to be 95% less harmful than smoking.
Vape UK argues that applying equivalent restrictions to both products in outdoor settings is inconsistent with that evidence base and risks producing adverse commercial and public health outcomes and hurting one of the UK’s most dynamic and important retailing sectors.
Chris Page, founder of Vape UK, said: “Retailers have spent years building vaping into a category that genuinely helps people off cigarettes, and that has been good for the sector and good for public health.
“This survey shows what is at stake if the government gets this wrong. Nearly half of our customers say outdoor restrictions could push them back to cigarettes. That is a direct threat to the harm reduction progress that has sustained vaping as a growth category, and it would leave retailers holding stock and customer relationships built on a policy framework that has just been undermined.
“We are asking the government to look at the evidence and regulate proportionately.”
This article was originally published by Talking Retail. Read the original article: Outdoor restrictions could push vapers back to cigarettes, data suggests.
By Tony Corbin, Talking Retail. Republished on Vape UK.
Read a more in-depth review of the findings from Vape UK through our blog post.