Tracking Your Competition: Marijuana Use More Common Among Younger, Less Educated Adults: Gallup

A just-released Gallup Poll finds 17% of Americans say they smoke marijuana, tying Gallup’s record high, while cigarette smoking matches its record low of 11%. Vaping is steady at 9%, and 4% of U.S. adults say they use nicotine pouches.

When it comes to nonalcoholic beverages, coffee is the most popular of the five tested. About half of U.S. adults (49%) drink coffee every day, while 21% drink tea and 20% drink caffeinated soda daily. Fewer consume energy drinks (9%) or caffeine-free soda (6%).

In describing their diets, only 5% say they are vegetarian and 2% vegan.

These findings are from the July 1-19 update of Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits poll, which also finds that 54% of U.S. adults say they drink alcoholic beverages.

Marijuana Smoking, Edible Use Remain Relatively High

The 17% of U.S. adults who report smoking marijuana is more than double  the 7% in 2013, when Gallup first measured the behavior using this question. The latest reading ties the record high from 2023.

Separately, 15% of U.S. adults now say they consume marijuana edibles. The two previous readings on this question were 14% in 2022 and 12% in 2024.

Marijuana Use More Common Among Younger, Less Educated Adults

Adults under 50 are the most likely age group to report smoking marijuana, including 23% of those aged 18 to 29 and 25% of those aged 30 to 49. The rate drops sharply among older Americans, to 10% of those aged 50 to 64 and 5% of those aged 65 and older. Edible use follows the same age pattern, though it is somewhat less pronounced.

In addition, marijuana consumption — both smoking and edible use — is higher among those who are less educated, are less religious and who also report drinking alcohol.

Marijuana smokers have lower household incomes than those who do not smoke, a gap not seen among those who consume edibles. Women, meanwhile, are slightly more likely than men to consume edibles, a pattern not seen among marijuana smokers.

Separately, 15% of U.S. adults now say they consume marijuana edibles. The two previous readings on this question were 14% in 2022 and 12% in 2024.

Coffee Is Most Popular Caffeinated Beverage

The July poll also measured how often Americans drink nonalcoholic beverages, including coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks. Coffee is the most commonly consumed beverage, with about half of U.S. adults saying they drink it multiple times a day (16%) or once per day (33%). Tea and caffeinated soda are the next most common, with about two in 10 U.S. adults consuming each at least once per day. Daily consumption of energy drinks (9%) and caffeine-free soda (6%) is less common.

Adults aged 65 and older are more than twice as likely as those under 30 to drink coffee daily (64% vs. 25%, respectively). Daily tea drinking follows a similar pattern, ranging from 26% among the oldest age group to 14% among the youngest.

Energy drinks show the opposite. Adults under 30 (11%) and those aged 30 to 49 (14%) drink them at least daily, compared with 3% among both of the two older age groups. Men (12%) are also more than twice as likely as women (5%) to consume energy drinks at least once a day.

Few identified as vegfertarian (5%) or Vegan (2%). Younger adults are the most likely to identify as vegetarian, at 8%, compared with 3% of those aged 65 and older. Likewise, liberals (10%) are more likely to identify as vegetarian than moderates or conservatives (both at 3%).