Nearly Two-Thirds Of Americans Don't Mind People 'Vaping' Nearby
Not only are they a hit among U.S. teens, with sales expected to skyrocket to $10 billion by 2017, according to a Wells Fargo analyst, but 63% of Americans say they don't mind if someone "vapes" around them.
That's according to a new poll from Harris Interactive (commissioned by North Carolina-based e-cigarette manufacturer Mistic) conducted in December 2013. 1,011 adults were called and asked whether they would approve or disapprove of e-cigarette use at certain public places that typically ban smoking of traditional tobacco cigarettes, such as sporting events, malls, the office, and even on an airplane.
In general, men were more tolerant, with 71% saying they weren't bothered by an e-cig in their vicinity, compared to 55% of women.
And the difference seemed to be generational: 70% of Americans ages 18-34 said they would not be bothered by someone using an e-cigarette in close proximity, compared with 4% of those ages 65 and over.
As for locations that normally didn't allow cigarettes, people became a little more finicky:
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58% of those surveyed thought e-cigs could be used at sporting events
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47% said vaping in malls was fine
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45% approved of e-cig use in restaurants and bars
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35% said vaping in an office or on public transit was okay
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29% wouldn't be bothered by e-cig use in a movie theater
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26% said vaping on an airplane was okay
And while this sounds like good news for the e-cigarette manufacturers, brands should remember that although the majority of nonsmokers may not mind e-cigarettes, that doesn't mean that cigarette lovers are willing to switch to vapor e-cigs (or that states and municipalities may ban them on their own).