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FOR EXTERNAL RELEASE
14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 1 of 17
DATA RELEASE: UPDATED PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS ON 2016 HEALTH & LIFESTYLE SURVEY ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE QUESTIONS
This briefing has been specifically prepared for the Ministry of Health to provide information from
this survey on e-cigarette use. This analysis uses the 2016 Health and Lifestyles Survey (HLS)
dataset. Publications for this survey, including the method report and questionnaire, are still in
development and are not yet publically available.
These preliminary results should be treated with caution. Final results may differ slightly. A
comprehensive analysis of the responses is underway and will include specific context significant
to the interpretation of these results.
This survey has seven questions related to e-cigarette use. Responses are examined by sex and
age. Statistical analyses have not been undertaken to compare differences between groups; that
is, we are not yet able to state whether differences between groups are statistically significant.
The error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. Differential response patterns by sub-groups
were compared using these confidence intervals. Where the confidence intervals do not overlap
the difference between sub-groups is noted as “more likely”/”less likely”.
The data presented below are weighted. This means that the reported percentages are adjusted to
account for each respondents’ probability of selection, as well as benchmarked to the New Zealand
population, to ensure that no population groups are under or over represented in estimates from
the survey.
Method detail for the 2016 HLS is provided at the back of this briefing. Please note the preliminary
analysis has not been externally reviewed.
FOR EXTERNAL RELEASE
14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 2 of 17
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF E-CIGARETTE QUESTIONS FROM HLS 2016
The following summary section has been added to simplify minor points from the initial report.
Summary:
One in six (17%) New Zealand adults have tried e-cigarettes.
Three percent of adults currently use e-cigarettes.
Out of those who had tried an e-cigarette before, 16% currently use them.
The main reasons stated for e-cigarette use are:
o To quit smoking cigarettes
o E-cigarettes are less harmful then tobacco cigarettes
o E-cigarettes are cheaper than tobacco cigarettes
o E-cigarettes smell better than tobacco cigarettes
o To reduce, but not quit completely, the number tobacco cigarettes smoked
Almost two in five (38%) adults agreed that e-cigarettes are safer for your health than
tobacco cigarettes.
Forty-three percent of adults agreed that e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking tobacco
cigarettes.
FOR EXTERNAL RELEASE
14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 3 of 17
Key Findings:
The following section has been edited to simplify minor points from the initial report.
E-cigarette usage
All respondents (n = 3,854) were asked “Have you ever tried an electronic cigarette?” Key findings
are:
One in six (17%) people reported having tried e-cigarettes (see Figure 1).
Males (20%) were more likely to reported having tried e-cigarettes when compared with
females (14%) (see Figure 2).
People aged 15 to 24 years (30%) and 25 to 34 years (27%) were more likely to report
having tried e-cigarettes when compared with people aged 35 to 54 years (16%) and 55
years and over (6%). Those aged 35 to 54 years were more likely to report e-cigarettes
usage when compared to those aged 55 years and over (see Figure 3).
Figure 1: Proportion of respondents who have tried e-cigarettes.
17 820
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Yes No
%
FOR EXTERNAL RELEASE
14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 4 of 17
Figure 2: Proportion of respondents who have tried e-cigarettes, by sex.
Figure 3: Proportion of respondents who have tried e-cigarettes, by age in years.
The following section has been added to simplify minor points from the initial report.
Current e-cigarette use in the population
Respondents were asked about their current use of e-cigarettes. They were grouped into three
groups: current users, those who do not use now, and those who had never used e-cigarettes
(n=3,810). ‘Current users’ included those who responded that they use e-cigarettes either daily,
weekly, monthly or less often than monthly.
20 14 79 860
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Male Female Male Female
Yes No
%
30 27 166
70 72 83 940
20
40
60
80
100
15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+
Yes No
%
FOR EXTERNAL RELEASE
14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 5 of 17
Current e-cigarette users make up only 3% of the adult New Zealand population (see Figure 4).
Figure 4: Use of e-cigarettes in the population.
Note: Those who responded ‘don’t know’ or ‘refused’ were not included in the analysis (n=44), this differs from the other sections in this report where ‘don’t know’ and ‘refused’ responses were included in the analysis.
Use of e-cigarettes was then compared across sub-groups. Key findings are:
There were no differences observed by sex for current users of e-cigarettes, however; it is
likely that more males (17%) than females (11%) have tried e-cigarettes and that more
females (86%) than males (80%) have never used e-cigarettes (see Figure 5).
Older people aged 55 years and over were more likely to report they had never used an e-
cigarette (95%) when compared to all other age groups (see Figure 6).
Figure 5: Use of e-cigarettes in the population by sex.
Note: Those who responded ‘don’t know’ or ‘refused’ were not included in the analysis (n=44), this differs from the other sections in this report where ‘don’t know’ and ‘refused’ responses were included in the analysis.
314 83
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Current users Don't use now Never used
%
3 2 17 11 80 860
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Male Female Male Female Male Female
Current users Don't use now Never used
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 6 of 17
Figure 6: Use of e-cigarettes in the population by age group.
Note: Those who responded ‘don’t know’ or ‘refused’ were not included in the analysis (n=44), this differs from the other sections in this report where ‘don’t know’ and ‘refused’ responses were included in the analysis.
The following section has been edited to simplify minor points from the initial report.
Frequency of e-cigarette use
Respondents who reported having tried e-cigarettes (n = 657) were then asked “Which best
describes how often you use an electronic cigarette now?” Ungrouped responses can be seen in
Figure . Most respondents (84%) reported that they do not use an e-cigarette now, with 6%
reporting “at least once a day”, 3% “at least once a week”, 2% at least once a month” and 5% “less
often than monthly” (see Figure 7).
Figure 7: Frequency of e-cigarette use in those who have tried e-cigarettes.
4 3 3 1 26 25 134
70 73 84 950
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+
Current users Don't use now Never used
%
6 3 2 5 84
0
20
40
60
80
100
At least once a day At least once aweek
At least once amonth
Less than once amonth
Don't use one now
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 7 of 17
Note: The categories are mutually exclusive. For example, the ‘at least once a week’ category does not include the ‘at least once a day’ category.
Frequency of e-cigarette use by people who reported having tried e-cigarettes was then grouped to
compare current and non-current use of e-cigarettes across sub-groups. Key findings are:
One in six (16%) respondents who reported having tried e-cigarettes reported that they
currently use an e-cigarette either daily, weekly, monthly or less often than monthly (see
Figure 8).
There were no differences observed by sex (see Figure 9) or by age (see Figure 1010)
Figure 8: Current and non-current users of e-cigarettes, out of those who have tried e-cigarettes.
Figure 9: Current and non-current users of e-cigarettes, out of those who have tried e-cigarettes, by sex.
16 840
20
40
60
80
100
Current users Do not use now
%
14 17
85 830
20
40
60
80
100
Male Female Male Female
Current users Do not use now
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 8 of 17
Figure 10: Current and non-current users of e-cigarettes, out of those who have tried e-cigarettes, by age.
Reasons for e-cigarette use
Respondents who reported using e-cigarettes at least daily, weekly or monthly (n = 79) were asked
“Why do you use electronic cigarettes now?” The top 5 responses are shown in Figure 1111.
Please note - multiple responses were allowed, therefore respondents may be represented in more
than one category. Analysis by sex or age was not conducted due to small sub-sample sizes and
size of error bars.
Figure 11: Top 5 reasons for e-cigarette use among frequent users.
1510
21 19
85 90 79 800
20
40
60
80
100
120
15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+
Current users Do not use now
%
49
46
36
35
29
0 20 40 60 80 100
I want to quit smoking cigarettes completely
Less harmful to my health than tobacco cigarettes
Cheaper than tobacco cigarettes
Smells better than tobacco cigarettes
I want to reduce the amount of tobacco I smoke, but notstop completely
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 9 of 17
Nicotine content
Respondents who reported using e-cigarettes at least daily, weekly or monthly (n = 79) were asked
“Thinking of the electronic cigarette you use now, does the vapour contain nicotine?” Most
respondents (65%) reported that the vapour did contain nicotine (see Figure 1212). Sub-group
comparisons showed:
There was no difference by sex observed in reported nicotine content of e-liquid vapour
(see Figure 3).
Younger people aged 15 to 24 years old (23%) were less likely to report that their e-liquid
vapour contained nicotine when compared with those aged 25 to 34 years (84%) as well
as those aged 35 to 44 years (79%) (see Figure 54).
Note: the sub-categories for sex and age have small numbers, reflected in the size of the
error bars. Caution should be exercised in interpreting Figures 13 and 14.
Figure 12: Reported nicotine content of e-liquid.
65 305
0
20
40
60
80
100
Yes No Don't know
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 10 of 17
Figure 13. Reported nicotine content of e-liquid by sex.
Figure 54. Reported nicotine content of e-liquid by age in years.
Source of refill e-liquid
Respondents who reported using e-cigarettes at least daily, weekly or monthly (n = 79) were asked
“Where did you get the refill e-liquid for the electronic cigarette that you are currently using most
often?” The top three responses are shown in Figure 65. Please note - multiple responses were
72 56
27
33 1
10
0
20
40
60
80
100
Male Female Male Female Male Female
Yes No Don't know
%
23
84 79 61 67
12
21
25
10
4
0
15
0
20
40
60
80
100
15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+
Yes No Don't know
%
FOR EXTERNAL RELEASE
14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 11 of 17
allowed, therefore respondents may be represented in more than one category. Analysis by sex or
age was not conducted due to small sub-sample sizes and size of error bars.
NB: An “other” response was the second most frequent response (26%; n = 15). Generally these
free text responses were shosha/vapour shops, specialty shops, and bargain shops.
Figure 65: Sources of refill e-liquid.
Perceived safety of e-cigarettes compared with tobacco
All respondents (n = 3,854) were asked “how much do you agree or disagree with the following –
e-cigarettes are safer for your health than smoked cigarettes”. All responses can be seen in Figure
76.
Figure 76: Agreement with the statement that e-cigarettes are safer than tobacco.
27
26
15
0 20 40 60 80 100
Online store
Other
Tobacconist
%
4 31 20 15 3
10
170
20
40
60
80
100
Stronglyagree
Agree Neither agreenor disagree
Disagree Stronglydisagree
NA - don'tknow what e-
cigs are
Don't know
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 12 of 17
Responses were then grouped into “agree”, “neither agree nor disagree” and “disagree” for sub-
group comparisons out of those who knew what an e-cigarette is. Key findings were:
Almost two in five (38%) people agreed with the statement that e-cigarettes are safer for
your health than tobacco, and 20% disagreed (see Figure 87).
There were no differences observed by sex (see Figure 98).
Those aged 15-24 years (45%) were more likely to agree with the statement that e-
cigarettes are safer for your health than tobacco than those aged 55 years and over (34%)
(see Figure 109).
Figure 87: Agreement with the statement that e-cigarettes are safer than smoked tobacco.
38 23 20 190
20
40
60
80
100
Agree Neither agreenor disagree
Disagree Don'tknow/refused
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 13 of 17
Figure 98: Agreement with the statement that e-cigarettes are safer than smoked tobacco, by sex.
Figure 109: Agreement with the statement that e-cigarettes are safer than smoked tobacco, by age in years
Perceived efficacy of e-cigarettes as a cessation tool
All respondents (n = 3,854) were asked “how much do you agree or disagree with the following –
e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking tobacco.” All responses can be seen in Figure 201120.
41 35 22 23 19 22 18 200
20
40
60
80
100
Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female
Agree Neither agree nordisagree
Disagree Don't know/refused
%
45 43 36 34 26 21 23 21 18 20 22 20 11 16 19 250
20
40
60
80
100
15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+
Agree Neither agree nordisagree
Disagree Don't know/refused
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 14 of 17
Figure 2011: Agreement with the statement that e-cigarettes can help people to quit smoking tobacco.
Responses were then grouped into “agree”, “neither agree nor disagree” and “disagree” for sub-
group comparisons. Respondents who indicated that they did not know what e-cigarettes were
(see Figure 21) were excluded. Key findings were:
Forty-three percent of respondents agreed with the statement that e-cigarettes can help
people quit smoking tobacco, and 21% disagreed (see Figure 212).
No differences in agreement were observed by sex (see Figure 13).
Respondents aged 25 to 34 years old (53%) were more likely to agree with the statement
that e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking tobacco when compared with those aged 55
years and over (36%), see Figure 23.
There was a trend whereby older respondents were more likely to report that they did not
know whether e-cigarettes would help people to quit smoking tobacco compared with
younger respondents.
5 35 17 17 2
9
150
20
40
60
80
100
Stronglyagree
Agree Neither agreenor disagree
Disagree Stronglydisagree
NA - don'tknow what e-
cigs are
Don't know
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 15 of 17
Figure 212: Agreement with the statement that e-cigarettes can help people to quit smoking tobacco.
Note: The ‘NA – don’t know what e-cigarettes are’ category has been excluded.
Figure 13: Agreement with the statement that e-cigarettes can help people to quit smoking tobacco, by sex.
43 18 21 170
20
40
60
80
100
Agree Neither agree nordisagree
Disagree Don't know/refused
%
46 41 18 18 21 22 15 180
20
40
60
80
100
Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female
Agree Neither agree nordisagree
Disagree Don't know/refused
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 16 of 17
Figure 143: Agreement with the statement that e-cigarettes can help people to quit smoking tobacco, by age in years.
Methodology
The Health and Lifestyles Survey (HLS) is a nationally representative, face-to-face, in-home
survey that monitors the health behaviours and attitudes of New Zealanders aged 15 years
and over. The HLS is run every two years, with the 2016 survey being the 6th iteration of the
survey. The HLS is managed by the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) and collects
information relating to the programme areas HPA works in, including tobacco control. The
2016 HLS Questionnaire can be found on our website (http://www.hpa.org.nz/research-
library/research-publications/2016-health-and-lifestyles-survey-questionnaire). In addition
the 2016 HLS Methodology report can also be found on our website
(http://www.hpa.org.nz/research-library/research-publications/2016-health-and-lifestyles-
survey-methodology-report).
The sample comprises
o Total: (n= 3,854)
o Sex: females (n = 2,279); males (n = 1,575)
o Age groups: 15-24 years (n = 419); 25-34 years (n = 656); 35-54 years (1,332); 55+
years (n = 1,447).
47 53 44 36 20 15 18 19 26 20 20 21
711
18 240
20
40
60
80
100
15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+ 15-24 25-34 35-54 55+
Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Don't know/refused
%
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14 February 2017 (Updated 9 August 2017) Page 17 of 17
The 2016 HLS asked the following questions about electronic cigarettes:
o T35: "Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigs, vapes or personal vaporizers are
battery-powered devices that heat a liquid to release vapour as people inhale from
them. The vapour may contain nicotine and may be flavoured. Have you ever tried
electronic cigarettes?" (Yes; No; Don’t know)
o T36: "How often do you use an electronic cigarette now?" (At least once a day; At
least once a week; At least once a month; Less often than once a month; Do not
use one now; Don’t know).
o T38: "Why did you try using electronic cigarettes?" (Multiple response: I want to quit
smoking cigarettes completely; I want to reduce the amount of tobacco I smoke, but
not stop smoking completely; I have made an attempt to quit smoking and I want a
tool to help me stay smokefree; I want to use them in places where smoking
cigarettes is not allowed; Cheaper than tobacco cigarettes; Less harmful to my
health than tobacco cigarettes; To avoid putting those around me at risk due to
second-hand smoke; I like the flavours / taste; Trendier than tobacco cigarettes;
Smells better than tobacco cigarettes; More convenient than tobacco cigarettes; I
like holding it / keeping my hands busy; I am curious about them; Other, Don’t
know).
o T39: “Thinking about the electronic cigarette that you are currently using most often,
does the vapour contain nicotine?” (Yes; No; Don’t Know).
o T40: “Where did you get the refill e-liquid for the electronic cigarette that you are
currently using most often?” (From a friend / family; Online store; Dairy; Liquor
store; Service station; Supermarket; Takeaway shop; Tobacconist; Other; Not
applicable – not refillable; Don’t know).
o T41: “E-cigarettes are safer for your health than smoked cigarettes” (Strongly agree;
Agree; Neither agree nor disagree; Disagree; Strongly disagree; Not applicable –
don’t know what an e-cigarette is; Don’t know).
o T42: “E-cigarettes can help people quit smoking tobacco” (Strongly agree; Agree;
Neither agree nor disagree; Disagree; Strongly disagree; Not applicable – don’t
know what an e-cigarette is; Don’t know).
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