Poll Finds Majority of Americans Support Public Ban on Smoking

A new Gallup poll finds that 59 percent of Americans support a public ban on smoking. Only 19 percent say that cigarette smoking should be illegal in the United States.

Gallup says this is the first time a majority of Americans have said they support a public ban on smoking since the company started asking the question in 2001. According to Reuters, 39 percent of Americans were in favor of a ban 10 years ago, and that percentage stayed about the same in their 2007 poll. The new results are based on a random sample of 1,016 adults.

“A majority of Americans now support the concept of a full smoking ban in all public places, marking a significant change from four years ago, when Gallup last measured this attitude,” the company said in a news release. “Relatively few Americans support the idea of making all smoking illegal across the country, perhaps partly in recognition of the practical difficulties involved in enforcing such a ban.”

According to the American Lung Association, the District of Columbia and 27 states have passed smoke-free laws.