(LOOTPRESS) – Cigarette smoking in the United States has reached a historic low, as shown by eight decades of Gallup survey data.
Currently, 11% of U.S. adults report that they smoked cigarettes in the past week, which aligns with the lowest figure recorded in 2022 and is nearly matched by 12% in 2023. In 1944, when Gallup first measured smoking rates, 41% of adults said they smoked. Today, the smoking rate has dropped to about half of what it was just ten years ago and is a third of what it was during the late 1980s. These findings come from Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits poll conducted between July 1 and July 21. From 1944 to 1974, at least 40% of adults reported smoking, but now that figure has fallen to around 10%.
A significant factor in this decline is the sharp decrease in smoking among young adults, who previously had the highest smoking rates. In the last three years, only 6% of adults under 30 have reported smoking in the past week, a stark contrast to the 35% recorded in surveys from 2001 to 2003.
Today, young adults are less likely to smoke compared to other age groups. Among adults aged 30 to 49, 13% smoke; 18% of those aged 50 to 64 smoke, and 9% of seniors aged 65 and older smoke.
Smoking rates also correlate with education levels. Data from 2022 to 2024 shows that only 5% of college graduates smoke, compared to 15% of those without a college degree. These figures are much lower than those from 2001 to 2003, when 14% of college graduates and 30% of non-graduates reported smoking.
In contrast to smoking, vaping is less prevalent, with 7% of U.S. adults stating they have used e-cigarettes in the past week. Since 2019, the percentage of vapers has remained steady, fluctuating between 6% and 8% in Gallup polls.
While young adults have the lowest cigarette-smoking rates, they are the age group most likely to vape. According to combined data from 2022 to 2024, 18% of adults aged 18 to 29 reported vaping, with that percentage decreasing in older age brackets, dropping to just 1% among those aged 65 and older.
