Singaporeans are smoking fewer cigarettes and are increasingly turning to vaping, despite the country’s ban on vapes. Photo credit: Xuân Thống Trần, Pexels.
Smokers in Singapore are smoking fewer cigarettes, but there are more who are using vape products, reports The Straits Time, despite the country’s ban on vapes.
Citing data from a Milieu Insight survey, the average number of cigarettes Singaporean smokers lit up fell from 72 sticks per week in Q3 2021 to 56 in Q1 2023. But, the use of vapes during the same period went up from 3.9% to 5.2% of the population.
Milieu conducted its survey from December 16 to December 29, 2023, revealing that the percentage of occasional smokers rose by 1.2 points to 3.2% from Q3 2021 to Q4 2023. Additionally, there was an uptick in the number of former smokers during the same period. This increase was amid a decrease in the proportion of regular smokers in Singapore’s population, going from 10.5% in Q3 2021 to 9.5% in Q4 2023.
The survey also found that alternative products such as vapes were mostly used by regular or occasional smokers, with usage among occasional smokers the highest. A similar rise in usage among non-smokers and former smokers was also noted, indicating a broader trend beyond just occasional and regular smokers.
In the context of the survey, regular smokers were defined as individuals who smoked a minimum of 3 sticks a day, and/or a minimum of 10 sticks a week on average.
Survey respondents who both smoked cigarettes and used alternative products cited their primary motivation for using vapes as reducing cigarette consumption. Additionally, they aimed to minimize exposure to second-hand smoke and explore new experiences. On the other hand, respondents who solely used alternative products highlighted their preference for the taste of these products as one of the main reasons for choosing them.