The Trump administration moved to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes last month following an outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and at least 19 deaths across the country. With a federal ban yet to go into effect, college students are torn on the issue.
A new survey of 1,500 undergraduates finds that almost half (49%) support a ban on sales of flavored nicotine vaping products, while 36% oppose the proposal and 14% are not sure. There are distinctions along gender and political lines, though. Female students are more likely than male students to support a ban (56% vs. 42%). And college Democrats are more likely than college Republicans to support one (59% vs. 43%).
Trump’s Proposed Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes Has More Support From Democrats than Republicans
Do you support or oppose a ban on sales of flavored nicotine vaping products?
Just 1 in 10 (10%) students say they vape often, while 72% say they never use e-cigarettes. But students affiliated with Greek life are far more likely than their classmates to vape. About 60% of those affiliated with Greek life say they never vape, compared to three-quarters (74%) of unaffiliated students.
A majority (62%) of students overall say colleges should ban vaping on campus, though female students are more likely than male students to say so (68% vs. 55%). A similar divide exists between Democrats and Republicans who support campus-wide bans (68% vs. 59%).
Female Students are More Likely to Support Vaping Bans on Campus
Percent of students who say colleges should ban vaping on campus.
Although a recent Pew Research study shows that vaping was on the rise among young people before news of the lung illnesses broke, college students don’t necessarily consider it cool. A majority (63%) of students say they are less likely to date someone who vapes, compared to about one-third (35%) who say it does not make any difference. Just 1% of students say they are more likely to date someone who vapes. But students who never vape are far more likely than those who vape very often to say they are less likely to date someone who uses e-cigarettes (79% vs. 1%). At the same time, almost 6 in 10 (57%) students say they wouldn’t let someone vape in their home.
Students overwhelmingly say vaping is bad for your health (86%), and only about half (55%) think cigarettes are more dangerous than vaping. Nearly one-third (32%) say vaping and traditional cigarettes are about the same for your health, while 13% say vaping is more dangerous. Male students are more likely than female students to say cigarettes are more dangerous than vaping (65% vs. 47%).
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Methodology: This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted among a sample of 1,500 full-time and part-time students attending four-year colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
