New survey highlights Ireland’s policy gap on e-cigarettes

Findings show that Irish and UK perceptions of e-cigarettes vastly differ

A newly released poll conducted by Amarach Research and published by PML reveals the stark differences between UK and Irish policies and perceptions of e-cigarettes

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Philip Morris Limited (PML) has published a new poll of Irish and UK adults which highlights the significant gap between smokers’ perceptions of the benefits of e-cigarettes and the policy approaches on both sides of the Irish Sea.

The poll, which was conducted by Amarach Research, found that:

• Roughly one in four smokers in both Ireland (72%) and the UK (78%) have attempted to quit smoking
• Use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS, e-cigs and heated tobacco) as a quitting aid in the UK (at 55%) is significantly higher than in Ireland (38%)
• UK smokers (43%) are twice as likely to view e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to conventional cigarettes than their Irish counterparts (18%)
• Only 37% of Irish smokers feel fully informed about smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes, compared to 61% in the UK
• 47% of Irish smokers believe that responsibility for informing them about smoke-free alternatives lies with public health bodies (29%) or the government (18%)

Eoin Dardis, PML country manager Ireland, outlined the company’s ambitions for ‘reduced risk’ products  “Philip Morris is committed to replacing cigarettes with smoke-free products,” he said.

“People who continue to use cigarettes should be informed that there are alternatives available to them that are likely to be less harmful than continuing to smoke,” Dardis added. “E-cigarettes and other smokeless alternatives – including heated tobacco products – can play a crucial role in offering Irish smokers a better choice to stop using cigarettes.

“Philip Morris’s ambition is that one out of three of our consumers will have switched to better alternatives by 2025. We would like to have a dialogue with the Irish government about the role these reduced risk products can play in meeting its target of reducing smoking prevalence to 5% by 2025.”

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