It’s a good day when common sense overcomes the propaganda that we often hear from lawmakers and government officials, especially when it relates to our personal freedom. And when it comes to the ongoing debate about e-cigarettes, Americans are proving to be more rational than the media outlets that push negative stories to gain ratings. In fact, a recent, first-of-its-kind survey released by Harris Interactive found that nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%) consider the use of e-cigarettes within their personal space acceptable – a statistic that may surprise many fear mongers.

“The 2014 American E-Cigarette Etiquette Survey” was commissioned by electronic cigarette maker Mistic® and conducted by telephone with more than 1,000 adults being interviewed about their opinion of e-cigarettes. Issued through Business Wire, the survey found that the majority of participants approved of e-cigarettes and vaping in close proximity at venues like sporting events, while only a fourth of those interviewed would object to the practice. Open-air venues where people are able to move around freely like shopping malls (47%) and restaurants (45%) were more acceptable for e-cigarette use than more confined spaces like airplanes (26%) and movie theaters (29%).

Support of public vaping:

63% in public (general)

58% at sporting events

47% at malls

45% at restaurants and bars

35% in offices

29% in movie theaters

26% on airplanes

Sex, Generation and Income Divides

Personal details about the participants were taken into consideration, including where they lived, income level, age, sex and race, to get a clearer picture of the population being examined and how their views varied. In the survey, women reported less tolerance of electronic cigarette use near them than men (55% compared to 71% respectively). The gap between the approval rate of men and women remained consistent at 14% when different locations were taken into consideration, with men once again more tolerant of electronic cigarette use within their immediate vicinity.

The gap is even wider when different generations were interviewed. Survey participants over 65 years of age were nearly 25% more likely to be bothered by someone using an e-cigarette nearby than those between the ages of 18 and 34 – with almost three-quarters in support.

Another interesting finding was that higher income individuals, making between $50K-$75K annually, were less likely to bothered by someone vaping near them, with 75% in support, while only 68% of those making between $35K-$50K supported e-cigarette use in public.

Here's how we see it…

With findings like these, it's obvious that lawmakers and government officials are out of touch. A majority of the public (63%) has no problem with vaping in public, yet public vaping bans are being imposed around the country, often without any consideration for the facts or the numerous studies that suggest that e-cigs pose limited risk to users – and virtually no risk to the public. They claim to be looking out for the “greater good”, but their primary concern appears to be limiting our freedom, and ultimately generating new sources of revenue for their coffers.