Australian Public Opinion on Nicotine E-cigarette Regulation

Today, the Australian e-cigarette association released a research report titled "Public Opinion Survey on Australia's Nicotine e-cigarette Regulatory Policy" on their Twitter account. The report reveals that only 4% of Australians are satisfied with the current e-cigarette regulatory policy, while 64% believe that the government has done a poor job in regulating nicotine e-cigarettes.

According to research findings, nearly 90% of Australians agree or strongly agree that regulated nicotine e-cigarette products should be sold through licensed retail stores, similar to tobacco and alcohol products. Less than 10% of people disagree with this viewpoint.

A recent survey reveals that 43% of people believe that e-cigarette products should be regulated similarly to alcohol and traditional cigarettes, while 34% believe that the current prescription-only policy should continue. Only 32% of respondents support a complete ban on retail sales, whereas 52% believe that adults should be able to purchase e-cigarette products from retail stores without any restrictions.

Eighty-eight percent of voters from the Alliance Party, 90% of Labour supporters, and 93% of Green Party voters agree that e-cigarette products should be sold through licensed retail stores. In addition, 50% of Green Party voters, 48% of Alliance Party supporters, and 43% of Labour voters believe that e-cigarette products should be regulated similarly to alcohol and tobacco. Only about one-third of people believe that purchasing e-cigarettes should require a prescription.

The current regulations on e-cigarettes are not well-received. A total of 68% of Australians believe that the government's regulation of nicotine e-cigarettes is either poor or very poor. Only 15% of respondents said they can accept the regulations, while 3% believe they are good, and 1% think they are very good. The majority of people feel that the federal government has a responsibility in this matter, with 64% of them stating that the government is doing a poor job in regulating nicotine e-cigarettes.

Nearly two-thirds of voters say they are very likely or somewhat likely to consider whether a political party implements a policy of regulating e-cigarette products in the same way as alcohol and tobacco, restricting sales to licensed retail stores for individuals aged 18 and above, when deciding which party to vote for. Especially among the 18-34 age group, 69% of people would take this policy into consideration when determining which political party to support.