Case Study: Breaking Through Barriers to Quitting Vapes and Nicotine
One of Market Street’s clients is a government agency dedicated to reducing the health and economic burdens of vape products and nicotine use among young people, with a focus on empowering youth to overcome obstacles to quitting.
Faced with rising rates of youth vaping and persistent nicotine dependence, our client sought not only to understand why quitting was difficult, but to uncover actionable insights that would motivate real change.
Our Approach
Market Street Research applied Barrier Analysis across three distinct segments:
- Those who successfully quit (“doers”)
- Those actively considering or attempting to quit (“partial-doers”)
- Those uninterested in quitting (“non-doers”)
This strategic methodology enabled us to isolate the true barriers to quitting and differentiate them from less influential factors.
Key Findings
- Personal mental health impact was pivotal. Recognition of negative mental health effects from vape and nicotine use was lowest among non-doers, 20% higher among those trying to quit, and another 20% higher among successful quitters.
- A hidden paradox: Qualitative testing revealed many young users saw these products as providing relief from stress or anxiety, not realizing they might be fueling the very problems they sought to escape.
Impact
By pinpointing the role of mental health insight in quitting decisions, our client could develop a campaign that directly challenged assumptions—making the link between vaping, nicotine, and worsening mental health clear and compelling. Follow-up research showed that this campaign grabbed attention, spurred self-reflection, and inspired more young people to consider quitting.
Barrier Analysis systematically explores the behavioral determinants that drive or block change. It gives organizations a clear roadmap for designing interventions that actually shift behavior—taking the guesswork out of behavior change.
To learn more about Barrier Analysis and how it can benefit your work, contact us for a consultation today.
