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A number of studies have suggested that smoking can reduce the chances of successful dating and put off potential partners. For example, one study found that smokers were perceived as “less desirable dates, less healthy, less sexy and less sophisticated than their nonsmoking counterparts.” (1) A Department of Health poll quoted on the BBC found that 50% of respondents in a poll would think seriously before starting a relationship with a smoker and that three quarters of people would not kiss a person who had just smoked. (2)
However, there is little data on how vaping impacts romance. To find out more, we polled almost 2000 vapers to find out how vaping affects dating.
This survey was conducted by E-Cigarette Direct, a leading online vape retailer. Images and data may be re-used when credited to E-Cigarette Direct. For further information, including the raw data in CSV format and comment, please contact us.
Contents
The E-Cigarette Direct Dating and Vaping study shows that vaping causes few issues for people who want to date, and suggests that vaping is more accepted by potential romantic partners than smoking. Most respondents are happy to include vaping on dating profiles, and very few report difficulties when dating because of vaping. Vaping can also replace smoking in more novel situations, such as after sex. Our results also hint at identity changes, with many vapers saying they would refuse to date a non-smoker.
Our survey was put together on MailChimp and sent out to vapers who had subscribed to our newsletter. The survey was incentivized with a £100 Amazon voucher. All questions were optional. Demographic information was collected including occupation, sex and region. A total of 1931 respondents took the survey, with the vast majority answering all the questions. The survey was also used to collect data for our recent Vaping in the Workplace study.
A large majority of our respondents (1699/88.5%) indicated they would be happy to display the fact they vaped on a dating website or app. Men were slightly more likely to admit to vaping (91%) than women (87%).
We asked our respondents if they had ever been turned down for a date because they vape. Only 58 (3%) said they had been refused a date, while 944 said they had never been turned down for a date and 928 said the question was not applicable. 45 (2.3%) said they had been turned down for a second date or dumped because of vaping.
1657 of our respondents (86.6%) said they would vape on a first date, while 256 (13.4%) said they would not. Women were slightly more likely to avoid vaping on a first date (14.5%) than men (12.5%). While not large, these numbers appear significant in comparison to those who did not get a date because they vaped and suggest that while vaping is not a limiting factor in getting a date, it is still a tentative behaviour to display on a first meeting.
680 of our respondents said they would not date a smoker. The proportion was significantly higher for women (39.6%) than for men (31.6%). Although not a majority, this is still a high number for people who are ex-smokers. We can speculate that the refusal to date a smoker might be linked to a change in identity, with vapers no longer identifying as smokers.
It’s worth noting at this stage that there is some evidence that dating a smoker can increase the chances of taking up smoking, at least amongst adolescents. Research by Mermelstein et al found that non-smoking adolescents who dated a smoking partner were significantly more likely to start smoking. This was especially the case for boys, with all boys who dated a smoking partner starting to smoke after 15 months. (3) It is possible that by refusing to date a smoker, vapers are taking protective behaviour to prevent relapse.
We also asked if vapers would date a non-smoker or non-vaper, and the answer was a resounding yes, with only 58 (3%) saying no.
203 (10.6%) of our respondents reported they took up vaping because of their partner. Given that in the UK the vast majority of vapers are current or former smokers, (4) this demonstrates that relationships which include a vaper can have a positive impact on UK smoking rates.
The post-coital cigarette is a popular feature in many smokers’ lives, with one industry poll finding that over half of smokers light up after sex. (5)
So, on a lighter note, we asked our respondents if they vaped after making love. Almost 60% of our respondents at least sometimes enjoyed a post-coital vape. The results were similar for both men and women. Again, this has positive implications for vaping, implying that electronic cigarettes can help replace cigarettes in previously unresearched situations.
The UK government has been keen to promote vaping as an alternative to smoking and sees it as a key element in achieving a smoke-free (smoking prevalence less than 5%) UK by 2030. The motivations for quitting smoking are complex, but for single people it is possible that dating success could have an impact. For single smokers who have struggled to quit smoking with other methods, it is worth highlighting that, for those looking for love, vaping can increase the chances of finding a partner when compared to smoking.
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