Among former smokers who stopped since 2010, 28 per cent named vaping as their main method, compared with 18 per cent who used nicotine replacement treatments such as patches, gum or sprays.
That means almost half of those who quit with help used a vape, according to the OpinionWay survey for FIVAPE.
The findings have prompted the French vaping trade body to warn against taxes and restrictions that could make the products less accessible to smokers.
Nearly half of assisted quits
OpinionWay questioned 3,729 adults online between 11 and 21 September, using a sample designed to represent France’s adult population. FIVAPE funded the research through its members’ subscriptions.
The full results show that 42 per cent of respondents who quit after 2010 did so without help. Of the remaining 58 per cent, vaping accounted for around 48 per cent of the main methods reported.
Nicotine featured in around four in five assisted quits since 2010, through either vaping or replacement treatments. The finding puts nicotine at the centre of how many French smokers have successfully moved away from cigarettes.
The poll shows how prominent vaping has become among the tools people credit with helping them leave cigarettes behind.
Clinical trials back vaping
Separate clinical evidence supports vaping’s effectiveness. An updated Cochrane review published in August found high-certainty evidence that nicotine vapes help more people stop smoking for at least six months than nicotine replacement therapy.
The direct comparison drew on 11 studies involving 4,114 people. Cochrane estimates that eight to 10 people in every 100 using nicotine vapes could quit, compared with six in every 100 using nicotine replacement therapy.
Cochrane also found that nicotine vapes probably work better than nicotine-free devices. Serious adverse events were uncommon, although longer and larger trials are needed to fully assess safety.
Flavours and refillable devices dominate
The survey also challenges the idea that vaping is mainly about disposable devices.
Among current vapers, 79 per cent reported using a refillable device. Specialist shops and websites accounted for 47 per cent of respondents’ main purchases, ahead of tobacconists at 27 per cent.
Flavours were widely used - 87 per cent used at least one flavour other than tobacco, while just 12 per cent used tobacco flavour alone. Fruit was the most popular category.
However, switching remained unfinished for many. Some 54 per cent of daily vapers also smoked, showing that taking up vaping doesn’t necessarily mean cigarettes have been left behind.
Warning over new restrictions
FIVAPE argues that the findings strengthen the case for protecting access to vaping as a quitting aid. It opposes additional vape taxes, flavour bans and plain packaging, and wants specialist retailers’ role recognised.