Introduction: Many people who smoke cigarettes report believing that nicotine causes cancer, a misperception that may reduce interest in switching to noncombustible nicotine products. Quantitative survey questions do not capture how this population thinks about nicotine and switching to noncombustible products. Methods: This study used an online convenience sample of 193 US adults who smoke cigarettes and reported that nicotine causes cancer. Respondents were asked if they thought nicotine was harmful (and why or why not) and if they would consider switching to a noncombustible product (and why or why not). Inductive and deductive coding were used, and descriptive statistics are reported. Results: Descriptions of nicotine directly causing disease (61%) were more common than descriptions of nicotine causing addiction to a harmful product (8%). One-third expressly stated that nicotine causes cancer, and 21% that nicotine causes lung disease. Interest in switching was moderate (mean 47.4 out of 100). When asked about switching, 34% described enjoying their current smoking experience, 23% described a perceived health benefit, 16% described a health concern, and 11% worried that switching would not address nicotine addiction. Discussion: Adults who smoke commonly perceived nicotine as a direct cause of cigarette-related disease, and harm and addictiveness perceptions were often mentioned as reasons for interest or disinterest in switching to a noncombustible. Future studies could explore strategies for correcting nicotine misperception, stigma related to addiction, and common concerns related to health as well as user experience.
Keywords: Tobacco; harm perceptions; nicotine.