Key Points
- Gallup included nicotine pouch use in its annual Consumption Habits survey for the first time, with 4% of U.S. adults reporting past-week use.
- The July 2026 survey found 11% of adults smoked cigarettes and 9% vaped in the past week.
- U.S. adult cigarette smoking has declined significantly from 41% when Gallup first measured it in 1944.
- Adult vaping has remained within a 6%-9% range since Gallup began tracking it in 2019.
- Nicotine product use patterns vary by age, with vaping and nicotine pouch use more common among younger adults.
2Firsts
August 25, 2026
Gallup’s latest Consumption Habits survey shows a changing pattern in U.S. nicotine use, with cigarette smoking remaining at a historic low, vaping holding relatively steady and nicotine pouches entering Gallup’s long-term consumer behavior tracking for the first time.
Gallup’s July 1-19, 2026 survey found that 11% of U.S. adults reported smoking cigarettes in the past week, 9% reported vaping, and 4% reported using nicotine pouches during the same period.
The survey included approximately 1,200 U.S. adults aged 18 and older across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Nicotine Pouches Enter Gallup’s Consumer Tracking
Gallup has tracked cigarette smoking among U.S. adults for decades and began measuring vaping in 2019. In 2026, the organization added nicotine pouch use to its annual Consumption Habits survey for the first time.
The survey referenced products such as Zyn when asking respondents whether they had used nicotine pouches in the past week. Four percent of U.S. adults reported past-week nicotine pouch use.
Nicotine pouch use showed a younger age profile. Usage was 5% among adults aged 18-29, 7% among those aged 30-49, 2% among those aged 50-64 and 1% among adults aged 65 and older. Men reported higher use than women, at 7% versus 1%.
Cigarette Smoking Reaches Gallup Long-Term Low
Gallup found that 11% of U.S. adults reported smoking cigarettes in the past week in July 2026.
The figure is consistent with recent years, as adult cigarette smoking has remained between 11% and 12% over the past five years.
Long-term Gallup data show a major decline in cigarette smoking. When Gallup first measured cigarette smoking in 1944, 41% of U.S. adults reported smoking. The rate reached a high of 45% in 1954 before beginning a decades-long decline.
Cigarette smoking fell below 30% in 1989 and remained below 20% since 2015.
The 11% recorded in 2026 represents one of the lowest levels in Gallup’s long-running survey.
Vaping Remains Relatively Stable
Unlike cigarette smoking, adult vaping rates have remained relatively stable in recent years.
Gallup found that 9% of U.S. adults reported vaping in 2026. Since Gallup began measuring vaping in 2019, self-reported use has remained within a 6%-9% range.
Vaping was most common among younger adults. Seventeen percent of adults aged 18-29 reported past-week vaping, compared with 11% among adults aged 30-49, 6% among those aged 50-64 and 1% among adults aged 65 and older.
Different Nicotine Products Show Different Demographic Patterns
Gallup’s survey shows different demographic profiles across nicotine products.
Cigarette smoking was highest among adults aged 30-49, at 16%, followed by adults aged 50-64 at 11%.
Vaping and nicotine pouch use were more concentrated among younger adults.
Vaping reached 17% among adults aged 18-29, while nicotine pouch use was 5% among adults aged 18-29 and 7% among those aged 30-49.
Gallup also found that cigarette smoking and vaping were more common among lower-income and non-college-educated adults, while nicotine pouch use showed a different distribution pattern.
Survey Provides New Baseline for U.S. Nicotine Product Use
Gallup’s survey does not measure whether consumers are switching between nicotine products and cannot determine substitution patterns.
However, the inclusion of nicotine pouches provides a new public data reference for tracking adult use of emerging nicotine products in the U.S.
The findings show a multi-product nicotine landscape, with cigarette smoking remaining at historic lows, vaping maintaining a stable user base and nicotine pouches emerging as a newly measured category.
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