A 2026 Source Guide: Vaping Surveys, Shipment Reports and Company Revenue Are Different Measures
Four primary-source routes answer different questions. This guide records their populations, reporting periods and limits before any figures are compared.
A sales report cannot tell you how many people vape. A population survey cannot tell you how much a manufacturer earned. Both may be accurate, yet putting their headline figures into the same market comparison can produce an answer that neither source supports.
This source guide checks four public reporting routes available on October 26, 2026. The selection is deliberately small: two population surveys, a government collection of company shipment reports and a company financial filing. It is a reference to their different uses, not a ranking of national markets.
| Source and period checked | What it measures | Boundary to retain |
|---|---|---|
| ONS, 2025 bulletin | Reported e-cigarette use among people aged 16 and over in Great Britain, through the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey | The bulletin also contains UK smoking estimates from a different survey and age group |
| FDA, 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey files | A national school-based survey, with questionnaire, codebook and methodology files | It is not an adult consumer panel or a state-level market sample |
| Health Canada, 2023–2024 vaping sales | Manufacturers’ and importers’ reported shipments to wholesalers or retailers | Not individual retail purchases or measured consumption |
| BAT, six months to June 30, 2026 | Company accounts separated by category | Reported revenue and constant-currency comparisons use different bases |
Start with the denominator
The ONS example shows why the publication title is not enough. Its UK smoking headline uses the Annual Population Survey for people aged 18 and over. Its vaping estimates use the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey for Great Britain, excluding Northern Ireland, and start at age 16. ONS explicitly cautions against comparing the two survey series as though they covered the same population.
The FDA’s results page supplies another essential definition: current use means use on at least one of the preceding 30 days. It does not mean daily use. The downloadable survey documentation is the place to check questions and coding before interpreting a subgroup. The data-use conditions also say sub-national analyses are inappropriate for this national sample.
For any comparison, record five fields beside the number: population or business covered, geography, period, unit and definition. Add the table or section link. If those fields do not match, describe the difference before making a comparison. That small piece of documentation is more useful than a larger collection of statistics stripped of their boundaries.
Cover photograph: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons; photograph source; CC0 1.0. Original photograph retained; display crop and size variants for layout.
Sources
18+ only. This site is for adult readers and provides news and information only. It is not medical, legal or purchase advice. Nicotine is addictive. Always check the official text of any regulation in your market. Health Information
