Table 3.
E-cigarette use behaviour, reasons for use and perceptions of harm; by age group
| 18–20 years | 21–24 years | Total | P value | |
| Use behaviour | ||||
| Ever use (n=1425) | ||||
| Yes | 351 (39.8) | 226 (41.7) | 577 (40.5) | 0.467 |
| No | 532 (60.2) | 316 (58.3) | 848 (59.5) | |
| Current use (n=1448) | ||||
| Yes | 46 (5.1) | 41 (7.4) | 87 (6.0) | 0.077 |
| No | 849 (94.9) | 512 (92.6) | 1361 (94.0) | |
| Daily use (n=1449) | ||||
| Yes | 11 (1.2) | 13 (2.3) | 24 (1.7) | 0.105 |
| No | 884 (98.8) | 541 (97.7) | 1425 (98.3) | |
| Daily use for a month or more (n=428) | ||||
| Yes | 21 (8.1) | 28 (16.5) | 49 (11.4) | 0.008 |
| No | 237 (91.9) | 142 (83.5) | 379 (88.6) | |
| Use of nicotine (n=47) | ||||
| Yes | 14 (73.7) | 19 (67.9) | 33 (70.2) | 0.668 |
| No | 5 (26.3) | 9 (32.1) | 14 (29.8) | |
| Use in indoor smokefree spaces (n=266) | ||||
| No | 131 (82.9) | 83 (76.9) | 214 (80.5) | 0.221 |
| Other* | 27 (17.1) | 25 (23.1) | 52 (19.5) | |
| Use in outdoor smokefree spaces (n=262) | ||||
| No | 122 (78.2) | 71 (67.0) | 193 (73.7) | 0.043 |
| Other* | 34 (21.8) | 35 (33.0) | 69 (26.3) | |
| Reasons for use | ||||
| To quit smoking (n=417) | ||||
| Yes | 5 (2.0) | 5 (3.0) | 10 (2.4) | 0.484 |
| No | 248 (98.0) | 159 (97.0) | 407 (97.6) | |
| For enjoyment (n=417) | ||||
| Yes | 25 (9.9) | 35 (21.3) | 60 (14.4) | 0.001 |
| No | 228 (90.1) | 129 (78.7) | 357 (85.6) | |
| Curiosity/just wanted to try them (n=417) | ||||
| Yes | 189 (74.7) | 92 (56.1) | 281 (67.4) | <0.001 |
| No | 64 (25.3) | 72 (43.9) | 136 (32.6) | |
| Perceptions of harm | ||||
| Less harmful than cigarettes (n=1022) | ||||
| Yes | 520 (79.6) | 258 (69.9) | 778 (76.1) | <0.001 |
| Other† | 133 (20.4) | 111 (30.1) | 244 (23.9) | |
The cells contain rounded weighted counts and sometimes the marginal totals are not exactly the sum of the component cells.
*Includes sometimes, fairly often and very often.
†Includes about same as cigarettes, somewhat more harmful than cigarettes, much more harmful than cigarettes and do not know.