Reasons for stopping or trying to stop using e-cigarettes among ever-vapers*, 2017–2019, weighted %(n)
| Reasons | Canada | England | USA | |||||||||
| 2017 n=883 | 2018 n=898 | 2019 n=1138 | Difference 2019 vs 2018† | 2017 n=1044 | 2018 n=990 | 2019 n=913 | Difference 2019 vs 2018† | 2017 n=898 | 2018 n=839 | 2019 n=1181 | Difference 2019 vs 2018† | |
| Only tried e-cigarette/vaping to see what it was like | 74.3 (656) | 59.5 (534) | 52.2 (594) | 0.73 (p=0.001) | 72.3 (755) | 62.9 (623) | 59.7 (545) | 0.86 (p=0.17) | 67.6 (607) | 51.3 (430) | 50.5 (596) | 0.96 (p=0.69) |
| Lost interest/did not enjoy it‡ | – | 35.3 (317) | 35.0 (398) | 0.98 (p=0.84) | – | 31.1 (308) | 33.0 (302) | 1.09 (p=0.43) | – | 35.2 (296) | 35.3 (417) | 1.01 (p=0.94) |
| Concerned about addiction | 16.0 (142) | 20.9 (187) | 29.3 (333) | 1.59 (p<0.0001) | 15.6 (163) | 16.1 (159) | 19.3 (176) | 1.25 (p=0.10) | 18.7 (168) | 21.0 (176) | 28.5 (337) | 1.52 (p=0.001) |
| Cost too much | 25.3 (224) | 21.0 (189) | 20.7 (236) | 0.99 (p=0.95) | 17.6 (184) | 15.8 (156) | 12.4 (113) | 0.76 (p=0.06) | 24.6 (221) | 21.3 (178) | 20.0 (236) | 0.94 (p=0.62) |
| Concerned about possible health risks or side-effects | 30.5 (269) | 29.7 (267) | 41.0 (466) | 1.65 (p<0.0001) | 23.4 (244) | 23.2 (230) | 25.2 (230) | 1.12 (p=0.36) | 31.3 (281) | 31.4 (264) | 41.9 (495) | 1.58 (p<0.0001) |
| Uncomfortable using in public | 14.7 (130) | 12.9 (116) | 12.2 (139) | 0.95 (p=0.71) | 9.8 (102) | 8.4 (83) | 8.6 (78) | 1.03 (p=0.88) | 11.3 (102) | 8.9 (74) | 8.2 (97) | 0.93 (p=0.70) |
| Did not like the taste | 14.3 (127) | 8.0 (72) | 9.3 (106) | 1.17 (p=0.36) | 10.7 (111) | 8.0 (79) | 8.0 (73) | 1.00 (p=0.99) | 16.4 (147) | 9.7 (81) | 9.1 (108) | 0.92 (p=0.63) |
| Did not help me quit smoking§ | 2.5 (22) | 0.7 (6) | 1.3 (14) | 1.81 (p=0.12) | 2.5 (26) | 2.9 (28) | 2.0 (18) | 0.69 (p=0.22) | 2.2 (20) | 1.7 (14)¶ | 1.0 (12) | 0.62 (p=0.28) |
| Did not help me cut back on cigarettes§ | 2.1 (18) | 0.9 (8) | 1.0 (11) | 1.14 (p=0.73) | 2.6 (27) | 2.6 (26) | 2.2 (20) | 0.85 (p=0.61) | 2.5 (23) | 1.5 (12) | 0.8 (9) | 0.54 (p=0.17) |
| No longer needed e-cigarettes to keep from smoking§ | 1.2 (10)¶ | 0.4 (4)¶ | 0.8 (9) | 2.02 (p=0.20) | 0.6 (6)¶ | 0.8 (8)¶ | 0.6 (6)¶ | 0.77 (p=0.65) | 0.3 (3)¶ | 0.5 (4)¶ | 0.9 (11)¶ | 1.87 (p=0.30) |
| Parents/family wanted me to stop‡ | – | 11.6 (104) | 14.9 (170) | 1.32 (p=0.053) | – | 7.9 (78) | 8.6 (78) | 1.09 (p=0.64) | – | 14.8 (124) | 18.5 (218) | 1.27 (p=0.12) |
| Friends/partner wanted me to stop‡ | – | 6.3 (56) | 8.7 (99) | 1.44 (p=0.04) | – | 3.2 (31) | 4.1 (38) | 1.32 (p=0.30) | – | 9.8 (82) | 8.2 (96) | 0.82 (p=0.27) |
| Did not have an e-cigarette/ vape or cartridges/e-liquids‡ | – | 18.9 (170) | 16.2 (184) | 0.81 (p=0.08) | – | 14.0 (138) | 11.0 (101) | 0.75 (p=0.06) | – | 14.9 (125) | 14.3 (169) | 0.96 (p=0.81) |
| Other | 6.7 (59) | 1.3 (11) | 0.6 (6)¶ | 0.45 (p=0.09) | 6.1 (63) | 0.9 (9)¶ | 0.5 (5)¶ | 0.55 (p=0.35) | 6.4 (57) | 0.7 (6)¶ | 0.9 (11)¶ | 1.22 (p=0.71) |
| Don’t know | 2.1 (18) | 2.2 (20) | 2.3 (26) | 1.02 (p=0.96) | 2.3 (24) | 2.5 (25) | 2.2 (20) | 0.86 (p=0.66) | 2.1 (18) | 2.1 (18) | 1.7 (20) | 0.84 (p=0.70) |
*Different versions of the question were asked for current (past 30-day) vapers who had tried to quit in the past year, former vapers (ever vaped but not in the past year), and experimental vapers (vaped in the past year but not in the past 30 days), and combined here. Respondents could select all options that applied; percentages do not add to 100.
†AORs and p values from within-country logistic regression models adjusting for sex, age group (16–17; 18–19), and race/ethnicity (‘White’; other).
‡Response option added in wave 2.
§Asked only of respondents who were smokers.
¶High variability (coefficient of variation >33.3%); interpret with caution.