The 2026 Haypp Nicotine Product Harm Perception Report is eye-opening for anyone passionate about improving public health outcomes. The document, which is the result of a 2,000-person survey in the UK, highlights how misperceptions about reduced-harm products are blocking smokers from transitioning to lower-risk alternatives.
As noted in the Haypp report, between 2011 and 2024, the UK’s smoking rate more than halved from 20.2% to 9.1% thanks to products like vaping. However, this excellent progress has stalled in recent years. One of the core reasons for this slowdown is that people wrongly believe reduced‑risk products are as bad as cigarettes. In other words, misinformation is becoming a barrier to a smoke-free UK.
Continuum of risk
As highlighted above, there is a well-known continuum of risk when it comes to products that contain nicotine. Cigarettes are the most lethal way to consume nicotine because of combustion and the cocktail of lethal chemicals and carcinogens. Nicotine pouches, on the other hand, sit at the opposite end of the scale, as the safest way to consume nicotine.
Governments, health bodies, and the media often believe that regulating or banning products will somehow affect demand for nicotine. Believing that requires misunderstanding human nature and basic economic concepts like supply and demand. Humans like nicotine, and they’re going to use it, so ensuring the market provides the safest way to use the stimulant is vital.
However, that approach only works if the public has the right information about the relative harm of nicotine products.
The pouch market is evolving
A separate 2026 Nicotine Pouch Report from Haypp and The Northerner suggests that the UK pouch market is broadening as it matures. Dr Marina Murphy, Senior Director of Scientific Affairs at Haypp Group, said:
“The data from the fourth annual Nicotine Pouch Report point to a rapidly evolving nicotine pouch market in the UK.
“In 2025, the number of women purchasing nicotine pouches on Haypp.com and Northerner.com more than tripled. Our share of female customers increased from 22 per cent to 40 per cent in one year, substantially narrowing what had been a substantial gender gap. The number of cans purchased by female customers rose by 202 per cent, compared with 25 per cent for male customers.
“This pattern mirrors the Swedish experience, where pouches were initially used primarily by male consumers, but women increasingly switched into pouches as the market developed. It is another sign of the UK pouch market not only expanding but also maturing.”
Harm reduction product misconceptions
Here is where the Haypp survey comes in. When they asked respondents if vaping was “as harmful” or “more harmful” than smoking cigarettes, a staggering 59% said yes. When comparing cigarettes and nicotine pouches, 45% incorrectly believe that pouches are more harmful.
When we consider the continuum-of-risk graphic above, the disparity between public perception and reality is shocking. It’s also very concerning from a public health perspective: How many current smokers won’t quit with vapes or pouches because they think it would be worse for their health?
Dr Marina Murphy said the findings show that misinformation is obstructing informed choices about lower-risk products:
“Simply put, the UK is getting it wrong on nicotine product risk. The findings of the Harm Perception Report show many UK consumers believe that nicotine pouches and vapes are as harmful as, or more harmful than, cigarettes. There is a great deal of evidence to prove that this is not true, and that vapes and pouches are many times less harmful than cigarettes, yet this message is not getting through.
“The concern is that this is not simply a lack of awareness among UK nicotine consumers. Negative perceptions appear to be influenced by persistent misinformation about these products in the media. This needs to be addressed because, at this point, it has started to undermine public health policy objectives.”
The Haypp survey is no one-off either. The ASH annual vaping survey also highlights how rampant this misinformation has become, and how this distortion has more than doubled since 2019 and the EVALI outbreak that was falsely misattributed to nicotine vapes.
Nicotine and cancer
The myths don’t stop there. Per the Haypp survey, 60% of those surveyed think that nicotine itself causes cancer. Nicotine is one of the most studied chemicals in the world, and there is a weighty body of evidence that shows this is not true. The NHS also agrees that the stimulant is not carcinogenic (see below).
Now, while we might groan at this poor understanding of the facts, the respondents actually do better than many medical professionals on this question: A Rutgers-Led survey from a few years ago shows that 80% of doctors think the same. The blind are leading the blind.
Is smoking making a comeback?
One consequence of a public that is misinformed about vaping products is that they don’t understand how uniquely lethal cigarettes are. In part, this is because newspapers and tobacco control groups obsess about vapes and pouches, while keeping scaremongering about combustible cigarettes to a minimum.
As shown in the report, 51% of 18–24‑year‑olds and 42% of 25–34‑year‑olds think smoking is back in fashion.
Now, whether this perception translates into an uptick in smoking is another matter. Currently, there is a real lack of hard data to support an actual rise, with HMRC data suggesting annual receipts are down 4-10% up to January 2026. However, the disproportionate excise duty rise of +£2.64 for a 10 ml bottle of vape juice starts in October 2026. This legislation could tip some price-sensitive vapers back toward smoking.
The media is culpable
The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer placed the UK last out of 28 countries for trust in “the media”. Sadly, just 31% of respondents said they trusted the media, representing a six-point fall from the previous year. Yet, despite the lack of faith in our media, citizens keep falling for misinformation around vaping.
The survey asked respondents about three particularly persistent myths around vaping, and the results were as follows:
- 46% believed vaping exposes you to more chemicals than smoking.
- 44% second‑hand vaping is as bad as second‑hand smoke.
- 43% thought vaping causes popcorn lung.
Each of these statements has been debunked time and again, but you wouldn’t know it based on headlines in the UK media.
Final thoughts
Regulators, public health bodies, and the media need to stop misinforming the public. Sure, that would mean challenging their prejudices, having integrity around funding, or giving up a few clickbait-driven views, but it would lead to a more informed, healthier public. The Haypp survey exposes the gap between public perception and the truth, and we all need to close it if a smoke-free UK is to become a reality.
