Associations between COVID-19 risk perceptions and smoking and quitting behavior among U.S. adults

•Smokers are more likely to think smoking increases risk of COVID-19 severity than susceptibility.•Perceiving risk of COVID-19 severity is associated with readiness to quit and quit attempts.•Perceiving risk of COVID-19 severity is also linked with both smoking increases and decreases.•Greater psychological distress is associated with changes in smoking and quitting behavior.