Majority of the respondents of a survey conducted among the residents in Espoo said that they had witnessed minors using electronic cigarettes.
The survey on the use of intoxicating substances, conducted in autumn 2024, collected Espoo residents’ views on the use of intoxicating substances and related harm, said the City of Espoo in a press release on Monday.
A total of 2,299 Espoo residents responded to the survey, including 561 young people (aged 13 to 17) and 1,738 adults.
Over half of the respondents said that they had witnessed minors using electronic cigarettes, and one in two young people reported having seen minors using nicotine pouches.
Both groups had also seen minors using alcohol, tobacco and snus.
Both young people’s and adults’ surveys showed that minors are using nicotine products.
The survey results, however, showed that age limit supervision concerning the sale of tobacco and nicotine products and alcohol seems to work well in Espoo.
The majority of both adults and young people had not observed intoxicating substances being sold to minors.
According to the survey results, intoxicated people reduce people’s sense of safety, especially in on public transport, at stations, and in the vicinity of shopping centres.
A third of adults and a quarter of young people reported that they had been afraid of intoxicated individuals they encountered in public places during the past year.
Adults expressed concerns about their children’s safety, while young people felt fear, particularly in the dark or when intoxicated individuals approached them.
About one in six reported that they had experienced harassment caused by intoxicated individuals in Espoo.
The most common forms of harassment were shouting, following, asking for money or cigarettes, and behaving in a threatening way. Young people also mentioned catcalling and sexual harassment.
- Minors
- Nicotine
- Espoo
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
