A 2023 survey of German vapers commissioned by the Tholos Foundation and conducted by Ipsos (n=402 adult vapers, September 2023) finds overwhelming opposition to flavor bans—and strong evidence they would backfire.
Key findings:
- 83% say flavors are important to their decision to vape
- 86% say a ban would push people back to smoking
- <10% support a flavor ban
- 50%+ would respond by:
- smoking
- using black market products
- or mixing their own liquids
- 77%+ vape for health-related reasons (reduce or quit smoking)
- 60%+ use non-tobacco flavors (fruit most common)
- 85%+ support alternatives like education and youth enforcement
Germany’s data is unambiguous: remove flavors, and consumers don’t disappear—they switch channels or revert to smoking.
You can see the poll results in full below: