FILE – A person is seen smoking a cigarette. (Photo by Jeff T. Green/Getty Images)
Cigarette smoking among Americans has declined significantly, reaching an 80-year low, according to a new survey.
Only 11% of respondents say they smoke cigarettes. A major reason for the decline in consumption is that fewer and fewer young adults are consuming this substance.
According to a Gallup poll, young Americans now smoke fewer cigarettes than other age groups: 13 percent of 30- to 49-year-olds, 18 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds, and 9 percent of those over 65 say they smoke.
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Data for the study was collected from results of Gallup’s annual consumer habits survey, conducted July 1-21 among a random sample of 1,010 adults ages 18 and older living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Although cigarette consumption among adults has declined sharply, more and more people are starting to use e-cigarettes: 7% say they have smoked or “vaped” electronic cigarettes in the past week.
In addition, e-cigarette use is particularly higher among young adults. The survey found that 18% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 vape, with the percentage declining in older age groups, reaching just 1% among those over 65.
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Although these groups use cigarettes and e-cigarettes, a majority of Americans believe these products are harmful.
According to Gallup, 79 percent of adults say cigarettes are “very harmful” to their users; 57 percent say the same about e-cigarettes.
Meanwhile, a majority of adults also believe that chewing tobacco is “very harmful” to its users, although fewer people hold this opinion about cigars, pipes or nicotine pouches. However, seven in ten Americans believe that all of these substances are at least “somewhat harmful.”
The survey also found that smokers are less likely than non-smokers to think cigarettes are harmful. While 58% of cigarette smokers think cigarettes are very harmful, 80% of non-smokers do. And 63% of vapers think e-cigarettes are very harmful, compared to 79% of non-vapers.
