• Strong support for federal research and education:
  More than 78% of mothers agreed that the CDC should be authorized to invest $500 million over five years in research and education to reduce youth e-cigarette use.
• Broad agreement on restricting flavored products:
  Large majorities of mothers across political ideologies supported enforcing restrictions on flavored e-cigarettes that promote youth initiation, with support ranging from 86% among very conservative mothers to over 97% among very liberal mothers.
• Consensus on updating marketing regulations:
  Between 87% and 91% of mothers agreed that federal laws governing the marketing of age-restricted products should be updated to reflect current advertising and promotional practices.
• Support for evaluating social media safeguards:
  Over 80% of mothers agreed that Congress should assess the effectiveness of social media age-gating tools and require companies to strengthen protections for minors.
• Concerns about access and enforcement:
  Mothers frequently cited easy access to vaping products, inadequate ID checks, and purchases through adults as key concerns, alongside calls for stronger education efforts and stricter laws to limit youth exposure.

In April 2024, Count on Mothers surveyed 595 mothers across 49 states and a broad range of political ideologies to understand their views on federal recommendations for regulating e-cigarettes, including provisions from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report and the PROTECT Act. Mothers shared perspectives based on firsthand experience with youth vaping and access to e-cigarette products. Aggregated findings were shared with the Senate Subcommittee and the public to inform ongoing policy discussions. Overall, mothers across the political spectrum expressed strong agreement on the need for strengthened federal research, regulation, and enforcement to reduce youth e-cigarette use.

Main Takeaways
Quantitative Questions
Over 78% of Mothers agreed (either agreed or strongly agreed) that there should be a CDC initiative that authorizes $500 million over 5 years for enhanced research and education to reduce youth use of e-cigarettes. An overwhelming majority of mothers agreed that there should be enforced restriction of flavored e-cigarette products that promote youth tobacco product initiation and long-term use, specifically over 97% of very liberal moms versus 86% of very conservative moms. Across the political spectrum (ranging from 87% to 91%), Mothers agreed there should be an update of federal laws governing the marketing of age-restricted products, such as e-cigarettes, that address current marketing practices. Over 80% of Mothers agreed that Congress should examine whether social media companies' age gating capabilities are effective, and companies should determine how these capabilities can be strengthened.

Qualitative Questions
‍When provided an open field to share firsthand experience:
‍Almost 16% of mothers wrote about being concerned with the easy accessibility of vaping products. Some mothers remarked that they’ve seen teens purchase e-cigarettes/vapes from stores that do not check IDs and other mothers said they’ve known teens to buy e-cigarettes/vapes from adults. Over 11% of mothers felt that increasing education on the effects and addictiveness of vaping would be helpful as a preventative measure. Over 20% of mothers thought that there should be stricter laws regarding e-cigarettes/vapes, including raising the age limit or implementing partial or total bans of e-cigarettes/vapes. For example, a mother from Illinois thought that banning the sales of e-cigarettes/vapes within a certain range of schools would be helpful.

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