Smoking Rates are Going Down Thanks to Gen Z

Smoking rates are going down in the US and Gen Z is leading the way. While smoking rates have been declining for years, this generational shift is welcome news.

This change, according to Earth.com, is taking place in states where smoking rates were once the highest in the country.  But smoking rates are not declining as much in people over 50 where quitting smoking is far more difficult than with young people.

Researchers from the University of California San Diego published the recent study in the  journal JAMA Network Open. The researchers believe that these dramatic findings could have a huge impact on health and wellbeing.

“The rapid decline in smoking among young adults is clear evidence that the smoking epidemic will come to an end in our lifetime,” Dr. Matthew Stone, an assistant professor at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and the study’s first author, said in the university’s publication UC San Diego Today. “Indeed, we project that the national smoking prevalence will be under 5 percent by 2035.”

About the Research

The researchers used the current Tobacco Use Supplements to the US Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey for their data, according to UC San Diego Today. The study analyzed the information from the survey and 1.77 million respondents were analyzed.

The study found that there were large differences in smoking rates between US states and the largest declines occurred in states that had historically high smoking rates. These differences also occurred due to age, sex, race, and ethnicity but the largest declines in smoking were due to young adults. The results were offset by the slower decline in smoking by older adults.

Smoking rates have been declining since the 1950s when smoking was first linked to lung cancer. In 1955, 56.9 percent of American adults smoked. By 2000 that figure was less than half of what it was and by 2022 the previous count was halved again. States that saw the largest decline in smoking also saw a decline in lung cancer rates.

Rise in Vaping

While the news about young people and smoking is very encouraging, e-cigarette use is on the rise, and this is also an addictive and unhealthy practice.

“While the ongoing decline in cigarette smoking is a major public health success story,” said John P. Pierce, Ph.D., corresponding author and distinguished professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and Moores Cancer Center.

“Recent evidence suggests that the tobacco industry has successfully recruited a new generation of  teenagers into e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction. Further research is needed to assess the long-term impact of this shift.”

Since education, smoking bans, and high tobacco taxes have played a large role in lowering smoking rates, according to Earth.com, the work is not done. The next steps are to address the issues of older smokers and the rise of e-cigarette use.

Hopefully, new research and policy makers will address these issues and Gen Z and the generations that follow will be smoke-free.