Many Canadians are in favour of existing federal legislation that seeks to make electronic cigarettes less appealing to the country’s youth, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 86% of Canadians agree with prohibiting the sale of vaping products to minors.
The federal government passed Bill S-5, which is an overhaul of the Tobacco Act. Other components of this legislation are supported by large majorities of Canadians.
More than seven-in-ten Canadians agree with the federal government’s decision to restrict any reference to e-cigarettes as healthier than standard tobacco products (77%, +4 since a similar Research Co. survey conducted in October 2019) and to restrict the use of testimonials and “lifestyle” advertising for vaping products (75%).
Almost four-in-five Canadians (79%, +6) believe there should be a ban on the use of e-cigarettes in public places where smoking is currently prohibited, and a larger proportion (86%, +1) want vaping products that contain nicotine to display a warning, similar to the one used for tobacco products.
More than two thirds of Canadians (69%) agree with banning certain flavours of vaping products, such as cannabis and “confectionery.”
Across the country, one-in-ten Canadians (10%, -1) say they vaped in the past year, a proportion that rises to 19% among those aged 18-to-34 and 14% in British Columbia.
“A majority of Canadians (56%, -4) say they would not consider dating a person who used electronic cigarettes,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “This group includes 57% of women and 62% of Ontarians.”
Almost three-in-four Canadians (73%, +4 since a similar Research Co. survey conducted in January 2019) agree with giving Health Canada the power to implement plain and standardized tobacco packaging.
More than four-in-five Canadians continue to endorse two regulations related to tobacco consumption that have been in place for years: banning smoking in indoor public spaces, public transit facilities and workplaces (including restaurants, bars and casinos) (87%, -2%) and banning smoking in private vehicles occupied by children (85%, +9).
Almost seven-in-ten of Canadians (69, -3%) support banning smoking (tobacco and marijuana) in multi-family buildings, while 20% (-5) are opposed to this course of action.
Support for a regulation that would ban smoking in multi-family dwellings is highest in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (85%), followed by Ontario (72%), British Columbia (68%), Atlantic Canada (67%), Alberta (62%) and Quebec (60%).
Methodology
Results are based on an online study conducted from September 18 to September 20, 2020, among a representative sample of 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
