One in Four Americans Have Less Respect for /Gallup.com

SmokersSmokers face more social disapproval than those who are overweight

PRINCETON, NJ -- Both smokers and overweight people face a certain amount of societal disapproval in the United States, but the situation is worse for smokers. One in four Americans report having less respect for someone who smokes, twice the level who say they have less respect for a person who is overweight (12%).

Society Growing Less Tolerant of Smokers


Anti-smoker bias is higher today than it was two decades ago, when between 14% and 17% of Americans said they had less respect for smokers. The expansion of the nonsmoking population over the same period may partly explain this, as the percentage of adult smokers has fallen from 27% to 22%.

Naturally, nonsmokers are the primary source of bias against smokers. Thirty percent say they have less respect for smokers, while just 5% of smokers share this view. However, former smokers are nearly as likely as adults who have never smoked -- 24% vs. 33% -- to look down on smokers.

Older Americans (aged 65 and older), those with at least a college degree, and upper-income Americans (those earning $75,000 or more annually) are among the least likely U.S. adults to smoke and, correspondingly, are among the most likely to report having less respect for smokers.


Bias Toward Overweight Most Pronounced Among High Income, College Educated

In contrast, Gallup finds a fairly narrow gulf in respect for overweight people between those who are overweight and those who are not. More than four in five adults in both groups indicate that their respect for people is not influenced by others' weight.

However, there are sharp differences by socio-economic status, with high-income and college-educated Americans particularly likely to say they have less respect for people who are overweight.

One reason Americans may feel less bias toward overweight people than toward smokers is that the former are far more prevalent in society -- nearly half in the July poll described themselves as overweight (42%) or very overweight (6%). Therefore, even if Americans are not overweight themselves, most are likely to have relatives, coworkers, or close friends who are overweight, increasing their sympathy for the condition.


Further, Gallup's question asked Americans about their reactions to "overweight" people, and thus does not address whether they harbor more bias toward obese people than toward those who are moderately or only slightly overweight. Additionally, while a larger proportion of Americans now say they have "less respect" for smokers, the percentage saying they have less respect for overweight people (12%) is down slightly from 16% in 2003.