Young Americans are now more likely to vape or smoke marijuana than cigarettes, according to Gallup polling that finds their attraction to cigarettes at an all-time low.
The share of adults aged 18 to 29 who reported smoking cigarettes in the past week hit a new bottom of 12% between 2019 and 2022 in Gallup’s latest survey. That is down 23 percentage points from 35% between 2001 and 2003, the polling company reported Monday.
“As a result of these changes, young adults have moved from the group most likely to smoke cigarettes to the second-least likely, with a rate higher than only the oldest Americans,” Gallup said.
Gallup has surveyed Americans’ cigarette smoking habits in three-year intervals since 2001. In separate polling, the company has surveyed marijuana smoking habits since 2013 and e-cigarette use since 2019.
“Both vaping and marijuana are more common activities for young adults than traditional cigarette smoking,” Gallup said, noting the impact of marijuana legalization “in a growing number of states.”
Among Americans aged 18 to 29, an average of 19% told Gallup they had smoked e-cigarettes during the past week between 2019 and 2022.
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Marijuana use has become even more common. Between 2019 and 2022, an average of 26% in the same age group said they smoked marijuana, up from 17% between 2013 and 2015.
Gallup conducted a randomized national telephone survey of 3,545 adults, including 505 adults aged 18 to 29, from 2019 to 2022. Among young adults, the margin of error was plus or minus 5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
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