Age profile
All analysed respondents · n=524
What stands out: The largest age bands are 41–50 and 31–40 years.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | 66 | 12.6% |
| 25–30 | 62 | 11.8% |
| 31–40 | 149 | 28.4% |
| 41–50 | 155 | 29.6% |
| 51–60 | 63 | 12% |
| 61–70 | 28 | 5.3% |
| 71–80 | 1 | 0.2% |
Consumer experience dashboard
VSML 2025 Vapers Survey
Consumer pathways from smoking to vaping in South Africa, including quitting history, product choices and changes in preferred nicotine strength.
About this survey
Survey preparation began in late 2024 and responses were collected from 15 January to 13 June 2025. The survey received 525 submissions. One response was excluded because its current tobacco and vaping status was internally contradictory, leaving 524 participants in the analysis. Question-level sample sizes vary because of survey branching and unanswered questions.
This is a self-selected sample made up predominantly of current vapers. The results describe these respondents; they are not population estimates for South Africa and do not independently measure clinical cessation efficacy.
What this adds to tobacco harm reduction evidence
Randomised trials and systematic reviews address whether nicotine vaping can help adults stop smoking. This survey adds a different layer: how consumers describe the transition in practice. It shows the quitting histories people bring with them, why they start and continue vaping, which products they choose, and how nicotine preferences change over time. Together, those measures help explain not only switching, but what may help people remain away from combustible tobacco.
Read the current Cochrane evidence summarySurvey snapshot
Overview
Participants analysed
524
525 submitted · 1 excluded
Median age
39 years
Adult self-selected sample
Outside South Africa
3.6%
19 of 524 participants
No longer use tobacco
86.9%
403 of 464 ever-users
Vape exclusively
87.7%
444 of 506 status respondents
Reported lower nicotine
46.0%
239 of 520 respondents
Who responded
People and place
Age, reported sex and province provide context for the sample. The survey asked about sex rather than gender identity. Province is the dashboard's principal geographic measure; city and town are intentionally omitted.
Reading the sample: Respondents had a median age of 39. Nineteen participants, or 3.6%, were outside South Africa. Gauteng and the Western Cape account for 68.1% of the analysed sample.
Sex reported
All analysed respondents · n=524
What stands out: 64.9% reported male, 34.9% female and 0.2% preferred not to say.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 340 | 64.9% |
| Female | 183 | 34.9% |
| Prefer not to say | 1 | 0.2% |
Province
All analysed respondents · n=524
What stands out: Gauteng accounts for 43.3% and the Western Cape for 24.8%. A further 19 respondents were outside South Africa.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 227 | 43.3% |
| Western Cape | 130 | 24.8% |
| Free State | 39 | 7.4% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 35 | 6.7% |
| Mpumalanga | 19 | 3.6% |
| Outside South Africa | 19 | 3.6% |
| North West | 16 | 3.1% |
| Eastern Cape | 15 | 2.9% |
| Northern Cape | 12 | 2.3% |
| Limpopo | 12 | 2.3% |
The journey away from smoking
Smoking history and cessation
These measures describe tobacco status and previous efforts to quit. They do not attribute every tobacco-free outcome to vaping.
What the responses show: Among 464 respondents who had regularly used tobacco, 403 reported that they no longer use it. Most quit attempters had previously tried without formal assistance.
Current traditional tobacco status
All analysed respondents · n=524
What stands out: No longer using tobacco is the largest status group in this vaping-focused sample.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| No longer uses tobacco | 403 | 76.9% |
| Still uses tobacco | 61 | 11.6% |
| Never regularly used | 60 | 11.5% |
Age when regular tobacco use started
Respondents who had regularly used tobacco · n=464
What stands out: 65.5% began before age 18, including 48.5% who started at 15–17 years.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 5–14 | 79 | 17% |
| 15–17 | 225 | 48.5% |
| 18–24 | 138 | 29.7% |
| 25–30 | 16 | 3.4% |
| 31–40 | 5 | 1.1% |
| 41–50 | 1 | 0.2% |
Duration of traditional tobacco use
Respondents who had regularly used tobacco · n=464
What stands out: 64.9% reported using traditional tobacco for at least 10 years.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 months | 1 | 0.2% |
| 6–12 months | 4 | 0.9% |
| 1–2 years | 22 | 4.7% |
| 2–5 years | 48 | 10.3% |
| 5–10 years | 88 | 19% |
| 10–15 years | 78 | 16.8% |
| 15–20 years | 71 | 15.3% |
| 20–25 years | 56 | 12.1% |
| 25–30 years | 43 | 9.3% |
| More than 30 years | 53 | 11.4% |
Traditional tobacco products used
Respondents who had regularly used tobacco · n=464
What stands out: Cigarettes were reported by 95.5%; cigars and hookah were each reported by 29.5%.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cigarettes | 443 | 95.5% |
| Cigars | 137 | 29.5% |
| Hookah | 137 | 29.5% |
| Roll-your-own tobacco | 104 | 22.4% |
| Pipe tobacco | 72 | 15.5% |
| Snuff | 15 | 3.2% |
| Chewing tobacco | 7 | 1.5% |
Multiple responses were allowed, so percentages do not total 100%. The chart shows the survey's standard tobacco-product categories; 17 respondents also supplied write-ins, including non-tobacco or ambiguous terms.
Cigarette-use frequency
Respondents who reported cigarette use · n=443
What stands out: 56.4% reported smoking 15 or more cigarettes per day; 23.7% reported 20–30 per day.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Socially | 24 | 5.4% |
| 1–10 a week | 14 | 3.2% |
| 1–5 per day | 31 | 7% |
| 5–10 per day | 68 | 15.3% |
| 10–15 per day | 56 | 12.6% |
| 15–20 per day | 89 | 20.1% |
| 20–30 per day | 105 | 23.7% |
| 30–40 per day | 35 | 7.9% |
| More than 40 per day | 21 | 4.7% |
Cumulative smoking exposure and health risk
Respondents who reported cigarette use and answered both questions · n=443
What stands out: Health risk from smoking increases with both the number of years smoked and the number of cigarettes smoked per day. The darker upper-right combinations represent greater cumulative exposure; 86.5% of respondents with more than 30 years of tobacco use reported at least 15 cigarettes per day.
Scroll horizontally to compare duration with cigarette-use frequency.
| Tobacco-use duration | Socially | 1–10/week | 1–5/day | 5–10/day | 10–15/day | 15–20/day | 20–30/day | 30–40/day | >40/day | Total | ≥15/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6–12 months | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0% |
| 1–2 years | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 20 | 20% |
| 2–5 years | 7 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 43 | 20.9% |
| 5–10 years | 6 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 82 | 41.5% |
| 10–15 years | 3 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 11 | 14 | 23 | 5 | — | 78 | 53.8% |
| 15–20 years | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 67 | 65.7% |
| 20–25 years | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 56 | 67.9% |
| 25–30 years | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 42 | 81% |
| More than 30 years | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 52 | 86.5% |
Lower cumulative exposure (not safe)Higher cumulative exposure and risk
Colour represents an indicative cumulative-exposure gradient derived from the midpoints of the survey's duration and frequency bands. It is not a clinical risk score and cannot predict an individual's likelihood of disease. Counts show how many respondents fell into each combination. Smoking frequency may have changed over time, and there is no safe level of smoking. No cigarette users were in the 0–6 month tobacco-duration category.
Methods previously used to quit
Respondents who had tried to quit tobacco · n=426
What stands out: Cold turkey or no assistance was reported by 73.7% of quit attempters.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cold turkey / no assistance | 314 | 73.7% |
| Nicotine-replacement products | 134 | 31.5% |
| Other | 96 | 22.5% |
| Pharmaceuticals | 87 | 20.4% |
| Quit programme | 49 | 11.5% |
| Quit apps | 21 | 4.9% |
Multiple responses were allowed, so percentages do not total 100%.
Number of previous cessation methods tried
Quit attempters who described the methods used · n=425
What stands out: 58.6% reported one method, while 41.4% reported trying two or more methods. The average was 1.83 methods.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 method | 249 | 58.6% |
| 2 methods | 88 | 20.7% |
| 3 methods | 45 | 10.6% |
| 4 methods | 22 | 5.2% |
| 5 methods | 11 | 2.6% |
| 6 methods | 2 | 0.5% |
| 7 methods | 5 | 1.2% |
| 9 methods | 3 | 0.7% |
One of the 426 respondents who had tried to quit did not answer the methods question. Each selected survey method is counted once.
What supports the transition
Vaping choices
Current situation, motivations, devices and flavours show how respondents practise tobacco harm reduction in everyday life.
What the responses show: Most respondents reported an established vaping history: 87.0% of duration respondents had vaped for at least two years, and 84.9% of exclusive vapers had done so for at least two years.
Current smoking and vaping situation
Respondents who answered the detailed status question · n=506
What stands out: 444 respondents, or 87.7%, reported vaping exclusively.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vapes exclusively | 444 | 87.7% |
| More vaping than smoking | 38 | 7.5% |
| Equal vaping and smoking | 13 | 2.6% |
| More smoking than vaping | 11 | 2.2% |
Time since starting vaping
Current vapers who answered the duration question · n=506
What stands out: 87.0% had vaped for at least two years, including 36.8% for 5–10 years.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 months | 13 | 2.6% |
| 6–12 months | 14 | 2.8% |
| 1–2 years | 39 | 7.7% |
| 2–5 years | 167 | 33% |
| 5–10 years | 186 | 36.8% |
| 10–15 years | 80 | 15.8% |
| More than 15 years | 7 | 1.4% |
There were 508 current vapers in the analysed sample; two did not answer this duration question.
Time vaping exclusively
Respondents who reported vaping exclusively · n=444
What stands out: 84.9% had vaped exclusively for at least two years.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 months | 17 | 3.8% |
| 6–12 months | 11 | 2.5% |
| 1–2 years | 39 | 8.8% |
| 2–5 years | 152 | 34.2% |
| 5–10 years | 156 | 35.1% |
| 10–15 years | 63 | 14.2% |
| More than 15 years | 6 | 1.4% |
Main reason for starting vaping
Respondents who had ever vaped · n=520
What stands out: 42.9% selected quitting or cutting down tobacco as their main reason.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Quit or cut down tobacco | 223 | 42.9% |
| Wanted a safer alternative | 159 | 30.6% |
| Liked the flavours | 33 | 6.3% |
| Other reason | 24 | 4.6% |
| Social reasons | 22 | 4.2% |
| Convenience | 15 | 2.9% |
| Family and friends used them | 14 | 2.7% |
| Curiosity | 13 | 2.5% |
Reasons for continuing to vape
Respondents to the continuing-use question · n=493
What stands out: A safer alternative and flavour were selected most often; 43.6% cited concern about returning to tobacco.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Want a safer alternative | 301 | 61.1% |
| Like the flavours | 258 | 52.3% |
| Concern about returning to tobacco | 215 | 43.6% |
| Convenience and ease of use | 212 | 43% |
| Social reasons | 166 | 33.7% |
| More affordable | 143 | 29% |
| Can use them in more places | 138 | 28% |
Multiple responses were allowed, so percentages do not total 100%.
Devices currently used
Respondents to the device question · n=506
What stands out: Refillable pod systems and regulated MOD systems dominate current use.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Refillable pod system | 297 | 58.7% |
| Regulated MOD system | 250 | 49.4% |
| Disposable e-cigarette | 142 | 28.1% |
| All-in-one system | 93 | 18.4% |
| Prefilled pod system | 74 | 14.6% |
| Squonk MOD | 69 | 13.6% |
| Mechanical MOD system | 58 | 11.5% |
Multiple responses were allowed, so percentages do not total 100%.
Preferred flavour categories
Respondents to the flavour question · n=520
What stands out: Fruit was selected by 74.2% of respondents, while tobacco flavour was selected by 13.7%.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 386 | 74.2% |
| Desserts / custards / creams | 211 | 40.6% |
| Ice | 164 | 31.5% |
| Milkshakes | 145 | 27.9% |
| Mint / menthol | 142 | 27.3% |
| Sweets / candy | 126 | 24.2% |
| Biscuits / bakery | 114 | 21.9% |
| Vanilla | 96 | 18.5% |
| Soft drinks / sodas | 73 | 14% |
| Tobacco | 71 | 13.7% |
Multiple responses were allowed, so percentages do not total 100%.
Number of flavour types preferred
Respondents to the flavour question · n=520
What stands out: 77.3% selected more than one flavour category; respondents selected 3.36 categories on average.
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple flavour types | 402 | 77.3% |
| One flavour type | 118 | 22.7% |
This measures the number of flavour categories selected, not the number of individual e-liquids used.
How preferences evolve
Nicotine-strength changes
Self-reported direction and the selected starting-to-current strengths answer different questions and are presented separately.
Headline measure: 46.0% reported decreasing their preferred strength, 39.2% reported no change and 14.8% reported increasing it.
Reported direction of change
Respondents to the nicotine-change question · n=520
What stands out: Reported decreases are the largest group, but maintaining or increasing strength remains part of many respondents' harm-reduction experience.
Decreased
Remained the same
Increased
View data table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Decreased | 239 | 46% |
| Remained the same | 204 | 39.2% |
| Increased | 77 | 14.8% |
Starting and current strength distribution
Current strength inferred as unchanged where respondents explicitly reported no change · n=520
What stands out: The distribution shifts toward 3 mg, while 11 respondents who reported a change did not provide a current strength.
View data table
| Category | Starting | Current |
|---|---|---|
| 0 mg | 8 | 15 |
| 3 mg | 149 | 203 |
| 6 mg | 72 | 55 |
| 12 mg | 41 | 46 |
| 16 mg | 52 | 13 |
| 25 mg | 47 | 57 |
| 30 mg | 42 | 41 |
| 50 mg | 109 | 79 |
| Not provided | 0 | 11 |
Movement between nicotine strengths
Starting strength flows to current strength · n=520
What stands out: The flow view reveals both gradual reductions and stable preferences; it should be read alongside the self-reported direction above.
Scroll horizontally to follow starting strengths to current strengths.
View data table
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 0 mg → 0 mg | 5 |
| 0 mg → 3 mg | 1 |
| 0 mg → 25 mg | 1 |
| 0 mg → 50 mg | 1 |
| 3 mg → 0 mg | 6 |
| 3 mg → 3 mg | 103 |
| 3 mg → 6 mg | 5 |
| 3 mg → 12 mg | 6 |
| 3 mg → 25 mg | 6 |
| 3 mg → 30 mg | 6 |
| 3 mg → 50 mg | 14 |
| 3 mg → Not provided | 3 |
| 6 mg → 0 mg | 3 |
| 6 mg → 3 mg | 32 |
| 6 mg → 6 mg | 29 |
| 6 mg → 12 mg | 2 |
| 6 mg → 25 mg | 1 |
| 6 mg → 30 mg | 1 |
| 6 mg → 50 mg | 1 |
| 6 mg → Not provided | 3 |
| 12 mg → 3 mg | 19 |
| 12 mg → 6 mg | 3 |
| 12 mg → 12 mg | 10 |
| 12 mg → 25 mg | 1 |
| 12 mg → 30 mg | 1 |
| 12 mg → 50 mg | 4 |
| 12 mg → Not provided | 3 |
| 16 mg → 0 mg | 1 |
| 16 mg → 3 mg | 23 |
| 16 mg → 6 mg | 8 |
| 16 mg → 12 mg | 9 |
| 16 mg → 16 mg | 8 |
| 16 mg → 25 mg | 1 |
| 16 mg → 50 mg | 2 |
| 25 mg → 3 mg | 9 |
| 25 mg → 6 mg | 5 |
| 25 mg → 12 mg | 7 |
| 25 mg → 16 mg | 1 |
| 25 mg → 25 mg | 21 |
| 25 mg → 30 mg | 2 |
| 25 mg → 50 mg | 1 |
| 25 mg → Not provided | 1 |
| 30 mg → 3 mg | 5 |
| 30 mg → 6 mg | 2 |
| 30 mg → 12 mg | 4 |
| 30 mg → 16 mg | 2 |
| 30 mg → 25 mg | 4 |
| 30 mg → 30 mg | 17 |
| 30 mg → 50 mg | 8 |
| 50 mg → 3 mg | 11 |
| 50 mg → 6 mg | 3 |
| 50 mg → 12 mg | 8 |
| 50 mg → 16 mg | 2 |
| 50 mg → 25 mg | 22 |
| 50 mg → 30 mg | 14 |
| 50 mg → 50 mg | 48 |
| 50 mg → Not provided | 1 |
Current strength is inferred to equal starting strength for 204 respondents who reported no change. Eleven respondents flow to ‘Current not provided’. Forty-three changed-strength responses have a numerical path that is the same as, or opposite to, the respondent's stated direction; these responses are retained as reported.
How to read this dashboard
Percentages always use the question-specific denominator shown with the graph. Multi-select results are not mutually exclusive. The dashboard describes consumer experiences within this sample and should be interpreted alongside clinical evidence, representative population surveys and the survey methodology.