Smokers and those who are substantially overweight — the obese — should pay more for health insurance. But when it comes to hiring these same categories of workers, most Americans do not believe employers should be allowed to discriminate against them.
That's the high-level takeaway from a new Gallup poll of 1,000-plus U.S. adults. Gallup elicited attitudes toward smokers and the obese in two key areas: cost of health insurance and employment opportunities. Digging into the data, it appears that, when smokers and those who self-identify as overweight are asked the same questions, smokers are much more likely to jump to their own defense than are the obese.
Gallup said only small percentages of those surveyed believe employers should have the right not to hire job candidates based upon whether they smoke or are obese. Just 12 percent think obesity should be a factor in refusing to hire someone, while 14 percent said employers should be able to refuse to hire someone who smokes. These numbers haven't changed much since 2005, Gallup said, and the percent favoring discrimination against the obese has been steadily dropping from a high of 17 percent in 2008.
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