Americans’ Opinions About Smoking
Tuesday, December 7, 2004
By Joseph Carroll
How many Americans smoke cigarettes? And, who exactly are these
people? To better examine the composition of smokers in the United
States, Gallup combined its past four surveys that asked Americans
if they have smoked any cigarettes in the past week. The results of
more than 4,000 interviews show that one in four Americans (25%)
admit that they are smokers, while three in four Americans are not.
The trends on smoking have shown a steady decline since Gallup
first asked this question in 1944. At that time, 41% of Americans
said they smoked. The percentage of smokers in the country remained
in the 40% range until the late 1970s. Over the next decade or so,
from 1977 to 1988, roughly a third of Americans were smokers. The
percentage of smokers in the country began to drop in the late
1980s and has been extremely stable ever since, ranging between 22%
and 29%.
Gender
Men are just slightly more likely than women to smoke.
Twenty-six percent of men smoke, compared with 23% of women.
Age
The propensity to smoke decreases with age. The data show that
30% of 18- to 29-year-olds smoke, while 28% of 30- to 49-year-olds
and 25% of 50- to 64-year-olds smoke. Only 10% of adults aged 65
and older say they have smoked cigarettes in the last week.
Race
One in five non-Hispanic blacks (20%) say they smoke cigarettes,
slightly lower than the 25% of non-Hispanic whites who smoke.
Region
People living in the western parts of the country are slightly
less likely to smoke than those living elsewhere. Twenty-one
percent of Westerners smoke, compared with 25% of Easterners, 24%
of Midwesterners, and 26% of Southerners.
Education
Americans with lower levels of education are much more likely to
smoke than those with higher levels of education. Nearly one in
three Americans (32%) with a high school degree or less smoke,
while 26% of those with some college education and 18% of those
with college degrees smoke. Only 9% of Americans with a
postgraduate education smoke cigarettes.
Political Viewpoints
Democrats are somewhat more likely than Republicans to smoke
cigarettes. One in four Democrats (25%) smoke cigarettes, while 21%
of Republicans do. Twenty-eight percent of independents smoke.
Income
Those in lower-income households are more inclined to smoke than
those in higher-income households. Nineteen percent of Americans in
households earning $75,000 per year or more smoke cigarettes. This
compares with 23% of those in households earning $50,000 to $74,999
per year, 31% for those earning between $30,000 and $50,000 per
year, 24% for those earning between $20,000 and $30,000 per year,
and 29% for those earning less than $20,000 annually.
Church Attendance
Fewer than one in six who attend church at least almost every
week (16%) say they smoke. This compares with 26% of people who go
to church monthly and 32% of those who seldom or never go to
church.
