Gallup’s 2026 Consumption Habits survey, released for the first time, includes nicotine pouch usage. The survey shows that 11% of American adults reported smoking cigarettes in the past week, 9% reported using e-cigarettes, and 4% reported using nicotine pouch products.
Meanwhile, cigarette use among American adults continues to remain at a low level compared with Gallup’s long-term surveys, while vape use has remained relatively stable in recent years.
Key Overview
- Gallup tracked nicotine pouch usage in its annual Consumption Habits survey for the first time, with 4% of American adults reporting use in the past week.
- The July 2026 survey found that 11% of American adults used cigarettes in the past week, while 9% used vapes.
- Cigarette use among U.S. adults has fallen substantially from 41% in Gallup’s first survey in 1944, reaching a long-term low in 2026.
- Since Gallup began tracking vape use in 2019, the rate has remained within the 6%-9% range.
- Nicotine product use varies by age, with e-cigarette and nicotine pouch use generally higher among younger adults.
Gallup Adds Nicotine Pouches to Its 2026 Consumption Survey
On August 25, 2026, Gallup’s latest Consumer Habits Survey highlighted changes in nicotine product use among American adults. Traditional cigarette use remains historically low, e-cigarette use has been relatively stable, and nicotine pouches have been included in Gallup’s consumer behavior tracking for the first time.
The survey was conducted from July 1 to 19, 2026. It found that 11% of American adults reported smoking cigarettes in the past week, 9% reported using vapes, and 4% reported using nicotine pouches.
The survey covered approximately 1,200 U.S. adults aged 18 and older, with respondents from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Nicotine Pouch Use Reaches 4% Among U.S. Adults
Gallup has tracked cigarette consumption among U.S. adults for decades and began measuring e-cigarette use in 2019. In 2026, the organization added nicotine pouches to its annual Consumption Habits survey.
Gallup used products such as Zyn as an example when asking respondents whether they had used nicotine pouch products during the previous week.
Overall, 4% of U.S. adults said they had used nicotine pouches in the past week.
The results show notable differences across age groups. Nicotine pouch use was reported by:
- 5% of adults aged 18-29
- 7% of adults aged 30-49
- 2% of adults aged 50-64
- 1% of adults aged 65 and older
Usage was also higher among men, at 7%, compared with 1% among women.
U.S. Cigarette Use Remains Near a Historic Low
Gallup’s July 2026 data show that 11% of U.S. adults reported smoking cigarettes in the past week.
The figure is broadly consistent with recent trends. Over the past five years, cigarette use among American adults has generally remained around 11%-12%.
The longer-term trend is more striking.
When Gallup first measured cigarette use in 1944, 41% of U.S. adults reported smoking a cigarette in the previous week. The proportion reached a historical high of 45% in 1954.
Cigarette use subsequently declined over several decades. It fell below 30% in 1989 and has remained below 20% since 2015.
At 11%, the 2026 figure is therefore among the lowest levels recorded in Gallup’s long-running survey.
E-Cigarette Use Remains Stable in Recent Years
Unlike cigarette use, which has experienced a long-term decline, e-cigarette use among U.S. adults has remained relatively stable.
Gallup found that 9% of U.S. adults reported using e-cigarettes in the past week in 2026.
Since Gallup began tracking e-cigarette use in 2019, the reported rate has remained between 6% and 9%.
The latest data does not indicate a major upward or downward movement in e-cigarette use. Instead, usage has continued to fluctuate within the single-digit range.
Age remains an important factor. Weekly e-cigarette use was reported by:
- 17% of adults aged 18-29
- 11% of adults aged 30-49
- 6% of adults aged 50-64
- 1% of adults aged 65 and older
Nicotine Product Use Differs Across Age Groups
Gallup’s findings show that cigarette, e-cigarette, and nicotine pouch users do not have identical demographic profiles.
Cigarette use was highest among adults aged 30-49, at 16%, followed by 11% among those aged 50-64.
E-cigarette and nicotine pouch use, by comparison, was more concentrated among younger adults.
E-cigarette use reached 17% among adults aged 18-29. Nicotine pouch use was 5% among the same age group and 7% among adults aged 30-49.
The survey also found differences based on income and education. Cigarette and e-cigarette use was relatively higher among lower-income adults and people without college degrees, while nicotine pouch use showed a different demographic pattern.
Gallup Data Does Not Show Whether Consumers Are Switching Products
The 2026 survey provides a new benchmark for understanding nicotine product use in the United States, but it does not answer every question about consumer behavior.
Gallup did not measure whether people who use nicotine pouches previously smoked cigarettes or used e-cigarettes. As a result, the survey cannot establish whether consumers are switching from cigarettes or e-cigarettes to nicotine pouches.
The 4% figure should therefore be understood as a measure of reported nicotine pouch use, rather than evidence of a specific consumer-switching trend.
Nicotine Pouches Enter Long-Term U.S. Consumption Tracking
The inclusion of nicotine pouches marks a new development in Gallup’s long-running research into American consumption habits.
For decades, cigarettes provided the main benchmark for tracking nicotine use. E-cigarettes were added to the survey in 2019, and nicotine pouches have now entered the same broader tracking framework.
The new data provides a publicly available reference point for monitoring how nicotine product use develops in the United States.
Overall, Gallup’s 2026 findings show a U.S. nicotine market in which several product categories coexist. Cigarette use remains at a historically low level, vape use has remained relatively stable, and nicotine pouches were reported by 4% of U.S. adults in the first year Gallup included them in its Consumption Habits survey.
