Lay summary
E-cigarette use in Aotearoa/New Zealand has increased rapidly in recent years, particularly among youth and Māori. While e-cigarettes can reduce health harms for current smokers, there is also the risk that e-cigarette use by young non-smokers creates nicotine dependence and is a gateway to smoking. The government is seeking to regulate vape outlets and e-cigarette products to encourage smokers to switch to vaping while discouraging recreational e-cigarette use. However, there is currently limited research to guide this regulatory work. This study will simulate e-cigarette purchase under existing and alternative regulatory settings. The virtual experiments will be completed by young people, Māori, Pasifika, and older smokers and non-smokers. The study will identify e-cigarette product attributes (i.e. price, nicotine potency, health warning) and vape shop characteristics (i.e. external signage, staff engagement) that encourage e-cigarette purchase by existing smokers while discouraging purchase by young non-smokers.