More than half of Welsh adults who have heard of vapes wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as smoking or worse.

We are calling for clearer public information about smoking and vaping, as our newly published survey report highlights gaps in understanding alongside the introduction of a new vaping duty.

Our 2026 Annual Population Survey, conducted by YouGov, found that 54% of adults in Wales who have heard of vapes wrongly believe they are equally or more harmful than cigarettes. Among current smokers in Wales who have heard of vapes, the figure is 53%.

The new Vaping Products Duty came into force across the UK on 1 October, at £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid, whether or not it contains nicotine. Tobacco duty also increased on the same day, with an additional rise intended to keep vaping cheaper than smoking.

Public Health Wales states that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, although it is not risk-free. An updated Cochrane review found high-certainty evidence that nicotine vapes help more people stop smoking for at least six months than nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or gum. In Wales, the Smoking Toolkit Study identifies vapes as the most commonly used aid in smoking quit attempts.

Wales’s 2022 tobacco strategy set the ambition of becoming smokefree by 2030, defined as smoking prevalence of 5% or less among adults aged 16 and over.

Smoking remains Wales’s leading preventable cause of disease and premature death. Public Health Wales estimates that an average of 3,845 deaths each year among adults aged 35 and over were attributable to smoking between 2020 and 2022.

Public Health Wales estimates that smoking costs Wales £1.56 billion annually through health and social care costs, lost productivity and environmental impacts.

Our Chief Executive, Suzanne Cass, said:

“These findings show why adults who smoke need clearer information about vaping and the options available to help them quit. Vaping is not risk-free, and children and people who do not smoke should not start. But adults who smoke need to know that switching completely to vaping is less harmful than continuing to smoke and can help them quit.

“As the new duty takes effect, we support efforts to stop vapes being available to children at pocket money prices, while ensuring adults who smoke have clear information and affordable routes away from tobacco.”

We are calling on the Welsh Government and public health partners to invest in clear information about the relative harms of smoking and vaping and accessible stop smoking support, backed by transparent funding plans. We also want the UK and Welsh Governments to monitor the duty’s effects on affordability, smoking and vaping, particularly among people on lower incomes.

Thinking about stopping smoking?

Free NHS support is available through Help Me Quit. Call 0800 085 2219, text HMQ to 80818, or visit Help Me Quit online.

You can also read our guide to vaping and smoking risk.