Smoking has seen a huge drop in the past few decades, now registering in at an 80-year low. Numbers back in 1944 said that 41% of American adults smoked. Decades later, that number has fallen to just 11%.
Regardless of the steep drop, more adults still smoke traditional cigarettes as compared to vaping and e-cigs. A Gallup poll released Tuesday, Aug. 13, said that some adults have turned away from cigarettes for these electronic variants but only 7% of adults use them.
According to Gallup, young adults have driven that decline, and only 6% of adults under 30 report smoking today. It’s a dramatic drop from 2003, where numbers were at 35%.
The numbers may agree that the amount of smokers is dropping, but different age groups are more likely to smoke or vape. Young adults are now more likely to vape, with 18% of them using e-cigarettes compared to just 1% of those aged 65 and older.
Vaping is the most popular choice for the younger generation, but cigarettes are still more popular overall. Most people see vaping as the safer option, according to the poll. In fact, 79% of Americans think cigarettes are “very harmful,” while only 57% say the same about e-cigarettes.
Experts warn that vaping is not risk-free, and it has its own dangers, especially among young people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s become a huge concern. Concerns were heightened last year after the Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey recorded 10% of high schoolers vaping in 2023.
Traditional cigarettes have been linked to all kinds of health problems, including cancer. E-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, and there’s also aerosol in vapes that have cancer-causing chemicals. Whether it’s smoking or vaping, Barrye Price, CEO of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions said neither option is “safe.”
