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Widespread Misperception of Relative Risks of ENDS versus Cigarette Smoking among Key Populations for Tobacco Harm Reduction in a 2022 Representative U.S. Sample Cover

Widespread Misperception of Relative Risks of ENDS versus Cigarette Smoking among Key Populations for Tobacco Harm Reduction in a 2022 Representative U.S. Sample

Open Access
|May 2026

Figures & Tables

Figure 1.

Relative risk perception between ENDS and cigarettes among those who exclusively smoke.Sample sizes are expressed as (the number of participants reporting ENDS misperception) / (the number of participants within the group) and weighted percentage.NH White: 1,970/2,129 [92.9%], NH Black: 610/643 [95.6%], Hispanic: 432/454 [95.5%], NH Others: 213/225 [95.3%]; Male: 1,504/1,641 [92.5%], Female: 1,721/1,810 [95.4%]; ages 18–54: 2,010/2,170 [92.8%], ages 55+: 1,215/1,281 [95.5%]; some college or more: 1,396/1,528 [91.2%], HS/GED or less: 1,815/1,907 [95.5%]; > $25,000: 1,676/1,817 [92.6%], < $25,000: 1,405/1,484 [95.1%]; Heterosexual: 2,807/3,003 [93.8%], Non-heterosexual: 364/392 [92.8%]; Excellent/Very good/Good mental health: 2,318/2,487 [93.5%]; Fair/poor: 891/948 [94.4%].

Characteristics associated with misperception, among AWES not planning to quit in the next 30 days_

CharacteristicsOR (95% CI)
Race/ethnicity
Non-Hispanic WhiteReference
Non-Hispanic Black1.79 (1.13–2.83)
Hispanic1.56 (0.90–2.68)
Non-Hispanic Other1.83 (0.80–4.20)
Sex
FemaleReference
Male0.55 (0.38–0.80)
Age
18–55Reference
55+1.47 (1.02–2.12)
Education
Some college or moreReference
HS/GED or less2.10 (1.47–3.01)
Household income
> $25,000Reference
< $25,0001.12 (0.73–1.74)
Sexual orientation
HeterosexualReference
Non-heterosexual0.81 (0.48–1.36)
Mental health
Excellent/goodReference
Fair/poor 1.04(0.68–1.59)

Characteristics of the adults who exclusively smoke and do not plan to quit smoking in 30 days, PATH Wave 7_

CharacteristicsAdults who exclusively smoke and do not plan to quit in 30 days
Total Sample3
Race/ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White2,146 (66.7%)
Non-Hispanic Black649 (13.6%)
Hispanic459 (11.7%)
Non-Hispanic other 227 (8.0%)
Sex
Male1,656 (55.5%)
Female1,825 (44.5%)
Age
18–542,180 (61.3%)
55+1,301 (38.7%)
Household income
< $25,0001,499 (42.0%)
> $25,0001,826 (58.0%)
Education
High school/GED or less1,926 (59.6%)
College educated1,539 (40.4%)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual3,029 (90.8%)
Non-heterosexual395 (9.2%)
Mental health
Excellent/very good/good2,507 (73.7%)
Fair/poor957 (26.3%)
Language: English
Page range: 68 - 76
Submitted on: Oct 14, 2025
Accepted on: Feb 17, 2026
Published on: May 3, 2026
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

© 2026 Sooyong Kim, Arielle Selya, Saul Shiffman, Lynne Dawkins, Joe Gitchell, published by Institut für Tabakforschung GmbH
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Volume 35 (2026): Issue 2 (April 2026)