Fewer Americans Smoking than Ever Before
The percentage of adults in the US who smoke cigarettes has never been lower.
That's according to a new survey by Gallup. The company has been asking Americans about smoking for 80 years.
In 2024, just 11% of people said they'd smoked in the past week.
That's the same as the percentage in 2022, and the lowest since Gallup began its survey.
In 1944, 41% of Americans said they smoked.
In the past, young people were among the most likely to smoke. But in 2024, those aged between 18 and 29 are actually the least likely to do so.
Just 6% of young adults said they'd smoked in the past week. Many more adults aged between 50 and 64 — 18% — had smoked in the past week.
However, more young adults — almost one in five — are using e-cigarettes.
Some have suggested that people who smoke e-cigarettes are more likely to become smokers later in life, but there isn't a lot of data to confirm this.
Taxes on cigarettes in the US have increased in recent years, as the government has tried to discourage people from smoking.
Education about the health effects of smoking may also have helped.
According to Gallup, 79% of Americans believe smoking cigarettes is very harmful, while another 18% say it's "somewhat harmful."
As for e-cigarettes, 57% of people say they are very harmful, and 34% say they're somewhat harmful.
Experts say e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes, but they're still not safe.
