70% of Filipinos Support Vaping

According to a recent survey commissioned by the consumer advocacy group factasia.org, 4% of Filipinos use e-cigarettes regularly or occasionally as a substitute for traditional cigarettes.

The survey also found that 70% of Filipinos support e-cigarettes as an alternative to tobacco products.

The survey was conducted by Ipsos on behalf of factasia.org from July 26 to August 9, covering 600 respondents aged 18 and above in Manila, Cebu, and Davao.

The survey asked consumers about safer alternatives to cigarettes, such as e-cigarettes, which do not burn tobacco and do not produce the harmful particulate matter, tar, and smoke associated with conventional tobacco. It was also intended “to better understand Asian consumers’ demand for lower-risk tobacco alternatives.”

Heneage Mitchell, one of the founders of factasia.org, released the survey results at a recent press conference, saying that 70% of respondents would consider switching to e-cigarettes “if they were legal, met quality and safety standards, and were convenient to use.”

Among adult smokers, 86% agreed that they should have the right to access information about less harmful alternatives to cigarettes, while 76% agreed that the government should encourage them to switch to lower-risk products through more flexible fiscal and regulatory policies.

Mitchell said that only 15% of respondents had tried e-cigarettes. He added that public health and tobacco control experts around the world encourage smokers who find it difficult to quit or who continue to enjoy nicotine to use e-cigarettes as a less harmful alternative.

However, the Philippine government recently announced that President Duterte would sign an order banning smoking in public places, both indoors and outdoors, including on public vehicles. News reports said the ban would also include e-cigarettes.

In the Philippines, e-cigarettes can be purchased in mall shops and small neighborhood stores.