Cigarette use at historic lows among U.S. adults, poll says
BOSTON - Cigarette use among U.S. adults is at historic lows, and the percentage of Americans smoking cigarettes has fallen considerably in the past decade.
According to last month's Gallup poll, about 12% of Americans say they smoked cigarettes in the past week, a slight uptick from the record low of 11% last year. This is a significant improvement compared to years past. According to Gallup, in 1954, 45% of American adults reported smoking, a record high. The numbers started to fall after that, but as recently as 2015, 20% of adults said they smoked.
The decline is largely due to greater awareness of the dangers of cigarette smoke, banning smoking in most public spaces, and fewer young people picking up the habit. That said, many teens and young adults are choosing to vape instead, which also poses serious health risks.