In the summer of 1939, America was on the brink of war abroad and inhaling deeply at home. That August, a survey conducted by Roper for Fortune Magazine revealed that 41% of Americans smoked cigarettes. Smoking wasn’t just a habit, it was a cultural phenomenon. Movie stars lit up on screen, doctors appeared in cigarette ads, and you could find an ashtray in most living rooms, cars, and public spaces.
But, as war raged overseas, something curious happened on the home front. By July 1942, Gallup reported a striking shift: 63% of Americans said they smoked, up from just a few years prior. Cigarettes became intertwined with identity, stress relief, and patriotism. Packs were even included in soldiers’ rations.
As the postwar decades rolled on, smoking remained popular… with some cracks in its image. From 1960 to 1966, the U.S. government banned advertising that tar and nicotine cigarettes were “less harmful” and then, through the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, that warning labels should be on all cigarette packaging. In 1964, the big blow came when the Surgeon General released a report that linked smoking to cancer and other serious diseases.
Public perception shifted almost overnight. By January 1965, a Louis Harris & Associates poll showed that 62% of Americans supported warning labels on cigarette packages, while 29% opposed them. It was the first time many Americans confronted the darker side of smoking.
Fast forward to September 1974 and Americans were still deeply engaged with tobacco. Roper found that, in just the prior week, 41% had bought cigarettes, and 36% had smoked at least half a pack. The numbers were still high, but, by 1976, the tide was turning. That year, Roper found that 51% of Americans supported banning smoking in public places, while 44% still opposed the regulation.
As for compromises, Americans got creative. In 1977, Gallup found 68% supported designated smoking areas as a solution to balance public health with personal choice.
But, by 1982, the pendulum swung back. Roper found that 54% actually opposed a full public smoking ban, while 41% supported it. Resistance remained strong… until it didn’t.
By 1987, Gallup recorded a significant shift: 55% now favored a full ban on public smoking, and only 43% were against it. Americans were growing tired of the foggy haze.
The 1990s brought stronger regulation and even more debate. In March 1994, NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Hart-Teeter Research Co. found that 33% of Americans supported maintaining the smoking ban, another 33% favored increased restrictions, 22% said restrictions should stay the same, while only 8% thought there should be fewer restrictions. But here’s the kicker: a Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll from the same month found that 70% of smokers said they weren’t actually smoking less, despite new regulations.
Fast-forward to the modern era, and America’s once-smoky image is now mostly cleared up. By July 2019, Gallup found that 62% believed smoking should be completely illegal in public spaces, with just 37% disagreeing. And by November 2024, attitudes got even more personal, with Pew Research/SSRS finding that 49% of Americans claimed smoking around other people is never acceptable, and another 28% said it rarely is.
Even when we look at e-cigarette usage, only 7% of Americans told Gallup in July 2024 that they smoked an e-cig or “vaped” in the past week, while 93% had not.
From normalization to rejection, the story of cigarettes in America is one of dramatic transformation. Once glamorized, smoking is now more likely to be met with side-eyes than celebration.
This post was written by Marist Poll Media Team member Hunter Petro.