The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WDPI), in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has released the results of the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). This biennial survey assesses health-risk behaviors among Wisconsin high school students, ranging from nutrition and mental health to substance use. The latest findings reveal a significant decline in the use of traditional tobacco products and a noteworthy decrease in vaping since its peak in 2019.
In 2023, 16.7% of Wisconsin high school students reported having tried combustible cigarettes at least once, and 3.4% reported current use, defined as having used the product at least once in the 30 days preceding the survey. From 2013 to 2023, the percentage of students who had ever used combustible cigarettes dropped by 31.6%, while current use declined by 56.4%. Moreover, from 2019 to 2023, ever-use decreased by 12.6% and current use fell by 40.4%.
The use of other traditional tobacco products also saw a decline. In 2023, 3.4% of Wisconsin high school students reported currently using smokeless tobacco products including dip, dissolvable tobacco, snuff, and snus. This is a 42.4% decline from 2017 (the first year the YRBS examined smokeless tobacco product use) when 5.9% of students were currently using smokeless tobacco products. Further, in 2023, 6.1% of Wisconsin high schoolers reported current use of cigars, which marked a 47% decline from 2013, when 11.5% of students reported current cigar use.
E-cigarettes have also been a focal point for policymakers concerned about youth vaping. In 2023, 34.4% of students had tried e-cigarettes, and 15.7% reported current use. E-cigarette use peaked in 2019 when nearly half (45.5%) of Wisconsin high school students had tried them and 20.6% were current users. Between 2019 and 2023, ever-use of e-cigarettes among students declined by 24.4% and current use by 23.8%.
Addressing the reasons behind youth vaping is crucial for policymakers. The 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey indicated that 43.4% of e-cigarette users cited anxiety, stress, or depression as their primary reason for vaping—which was the most common reason for using e-cigarettes. The 2023 YRBS showed that 35% of Wisconsin high school students felt so sad or hopeless that they ceased their usual activities, while 51.6% reported having “significant problems with feeling very anxious, nervous, tense, scared, or like something bad was going to happen.”
Moreover, while the percentage of youth vaping in the Badger State has decreased in recent years, the number of adults using e-cigarettes—many to quit smoking—has increased. In fact, in 2022, an estimated 6.7% of Wisconsin adults aged 18 years or older were currently using e-cigarettes, an 8.1% increase from 2021.
Policymakers must recognize these trends in the YRBS data and craft policies that address the decline in youth tobacco and vapor product use without restricting adult access to safer smoking alternatives. Such restrictions could negatively impact adults attempting to quit cigarettes and maintain a smoke-free lifestyle.
Lindsey Stroud is a Visiting Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum, a Senior Fellow at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and a board member with the American Vapor Manufacturers Association.