France's National Institute for Prevention and Education for Health (INPES) recently published a comprehensive study on electronic cigarette use. The sector is booming, with vape shops proliferating nationwide and the market valued at over $2 billion annually.
Over the past year, INPES surveyed a large representative sample to evaluate e-cigarettes' effectiveness as a smoking cessation aid.
The findings confirm that e-cigarettes replicate the hand-to-mouth smoking gesture. Importantly, France's AFSSAPS (French Agency for the Safety of Health Products) classifies them as everyday consumer products (without nicotine) or medicines (with nicotine).
Awareness is near-universal: 99% of French adults know about e-cigarettes, fueling the addition of "vapoter" (to vape) to the 2015 Larousse and Robert dictionaries.
Among those aged 15-75, 26% have tried vaping, with 6% current users (3% daily). Typical vapers are young, male, and have a high school education or less—mirroring smoker demographics.
Average usage duration in 2014 was 4 months: 47% under 3 months, 9% over a year.
Vaping locations: 84% at home, 77% outdoors, 36% at work, 27% in restaurants/bars/cafés/nightclubs, 5% at school, and 0.1% in cars.
E-cigarettes appeal strongly to smokers: 86% of vapers use nicotine versions, 98% are current or former smokers, and 24% of smokers plan to try them.
Smokers are primarily addicted to nicotine, and e-cigarettes provide it without full deprivation: 75% of vapers use them as cigarette substitutes.
Cost savings are a key driver: 71% of vaping smokers and 66% of former vaping smokers cite lower expenses compared to traditional cigarettes.
Health perceptions play a role too—66% of vaping smokers and 80% of ex-vapers view e-cigarettes as less harmful.
Less restrictive regulations (no bans in public spaces like tobacco) add appeal, alongside social courtesy, flavors, and curiosity.
Many see e-cigarettes as quit aids: 88% of vaping smokers report fewer traditional cigarettes (82% believe it helps quitting); they've cut consumption by 8.9 cigarettes/day on average. 68% aim to quit, versus 54% of non-vaping smokers.
Vaping smokers are more motivated to quit than non-vapers.
(Photo: INPES)
