Story Highlights
- 68% of U.S. adults favor legalizing marijuana, tied for record high
- Liberal, younger, less religious are most supportive
- Only 32% of conservatives aged 65 and older are in favor
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans’ support for marijuana legalization remains at the record-high 68% recorded each of the past two years.
###Embeddable###
When Gallup first asked about legalizing marijuana in 1969, 12% of Americans were in favor. Support grew from there, reaching 31% in 2000 and surpassing the majority level in 2013. Since 2016, at least six in 10 have been in favor.
The latest results are based on an Oct. 3-20 Gallup poll.
Majorities in Nearly All Subgroups Favor Legal Marijuana Use
Combining data for the past five years, from 2018 through 2022, allows for a more robust analysis of demographic differences in views about marijuana legalization than is possible from a single poll. Using this aggregate, Gallup finds support for legalization averaged 67% among the general population but varied significantly by subgroup. Conservative, religious and older Americans are the least supportive, while liberal, nonreligious and younger Americans are the most supportive.
Specifically, subgroups whose support for legalization exceeds the national average by 10…
