Although most Americans surveyed in a recent Gallup poll say they don't think businesses should be permitted to discriminate in hiring smokers or the obese, most believe that companies who do hire them should charge them more for health insurance.

Only one in eight Americans (12%) believe businesses should refuse to hire people who are significantly overweight, and 14% say companies should be allowed to refuse to hire smokers.

The results come from Gallup's Consumption Habits survey, conducted by phone with a random sample of more tha 1,000 adults. Twenty-one percent of respondents said they had had at least one cigarette during the prior week, and 40% considered themselves “somewhat” or “very” overweight.

Most of the respondents, 58%, say it would be justified for employers to set higher health insurance rates for smokers, while 39% say higher rates would be justified for the obese.These figures are both slightly lower than in 2003, when Gallup first asked these questions. At that time, 65% of Americans said that smokers should pay higher health insurance rates, and 43% said the same about those who are significantly overweight.

Smokers are much more likely than nonsmokers to oppose hiring discrimination and higher insurance rates for those who smoke. While a quarter of smokers say that higher insurance rates are justified, only 3% say companies should be allowed to refuse to hire smokers. Former smokers' views are similar to those of nonsmokers in general, indicating that current smoking status is a larger determinant of views on these issues than is past history of smoking.

Special Reports /

Most Americans oppose hiring discrimination against smokers, obese

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