WASHINGTON, D.C. -- If you are looking for work and you either smoke or are overweight, you may face a tougher time getting hired. About one in four Americans say they would be "less likely" to hire a person if they found out that he or she smoked. Nearly one in five say the same about hiring an overweight person.

The large majority of Americans say a person's smoking habits or weight would make no difference to them in a hiring situation. These results are based on the attitudes of all Americans, few of whom are actually in a position to make a hiring decision, so it is not clear to what extent hiring discrimination occurs based on smoking or weight. But at a time when jobs are scarce and employers are hesitant to hire, the sizable minority of...