eTable 4. Perception of danger of e-cigarettes as compared to conventional cigarettes in the total population and in selected groups.
| Variable | Characteristic |
Less dangerous than tobacco cigarettes |
Equally dangerous as tobacco cigarettes |
More dangerous than tobacco cigarettes |
No response |
Total (n) |
| Total (%) | 828 (20.7) | 1852 (46.3) | 644 (16.1) | 679 (17.0) | 4002 | |
| Ever use of e-cigarettes (%) |
User | 190 (40.2) | 184 (38.9) | 59 (12.5) | 30 (6.3) | 473 |
| Never user | 636 (18.0) | 1666 (47.3) | 575 (16.3) | 647 (18.4) | 3524 | |
| Smoker status (%) | Smoker | 250 (25.5) | 444 (45.3) | 156 (15.9) | 131 (13.4) | 981 |
| Quit smoking in 2010 or later | 68 (31.8) | 94 (43.9) | 36 (16.8) | 16 (7.5) | 214 | |
| Quit smoking before 2010 | 127 (15.9) | 376 (47.1) | 128 (16.0) | 167 (20.9) | 798 | |
| Tried out smoking | 123 (19.6) | 306 (48.8) | 102 (16.3) | 96 (15.3) | 627 | |
| Never smoker | 255 (18.8) | 626 (46.0) | 219 (16.1) | 261 (19.2) | 1361 | |
| Age group (%) | 14–19 years | 117 (35.5) | 131 (39.7) | 70 (21.2) | 12 (3.0) | 330 |
| 20–39 years | 249 (23.7) | 530 (50.5) | 171 (16.3) | 100 (9.5) | 1050 | |
| 40–59 years | 296 (21.6) | 656 (47.9) | 182 (13.3) | 235 (17.2) | 1369 | |
| ≥ 60 years | 165 (13.2) | 535 (42.7) | 221 (17.6) | 332 (26.5) | 1253 | |
| Formal education level* (%) |
Low | 89 (12.9) | 290 (42.1) | 159 (23.1) | 151 (21.9) | 689 |
| Medium | 224 (19.5) | 536 (46.6) | 194 (16.9) | 195 (17.0) | 1149 | |
| High | 390 (22.0) | 882 (49.8) | 215 (12.1) | 284 (16.0) | 1771 | |
| Sex (%) | Male | 492 (25.2) | 802 (41.1) | 309 (15.8) | 348 (17.8) | 1951 |
| Female | 336 (16.4) | 1050 (51.2) | 334 (16.3) | 330 (16.1) | 2050 |
As a result of weighting, summation of absolute frequencies may contain round-off errors, in the range of 1 to 2 persons.
*low = no qualification or Volks- or Hauptschulabschluss (year 9 lower secondary school certificate); medium = polytechnic secondary school (Polytechnische Oberschule; POS),
Real- or Mittelschulabschluss (year 10 lower secondary school certificate); high = Abitur, Fachabitur (secondary school certification, allows entrance to a university)