ACTGHS smoking, adults

Commentary

Respondents to the 2022 ACT General Health Survey were significantly more likely to report that they have never smoked (49.9%) than being daily/occasional smokers (10.5%) or ex-smokers (39.6%). In 2022, males (45.8%) were significantly less likely to report that they have never smoked than females (54.1%). Respondents aged 18 to 24 years (21.0%) were significantly more likely to be daily/occasional smokers than respondents aged 65 years and over (4.6%) in 2022.

Question not asked in 2019.

For the purpose of reporting the ACT General Health Survey data on HealthStats, if the 95% confidence intervals of the estimates do not overlap, they are considered to be significantly different.

Note: The indicator shows self-reported data collected through Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Estimates were weighted to adjust for differences in the probability of selection among respondents and were benchmarked to the estimated residential population using the latest available Australian Bureau of Statistics population estimates.

Respondents to the 2022 ACT General Health Survey were aged 18 years and over. Persons includes respondents who identified as male, female, other and those who refused to answer and may not always add to the sum of male and female.

The following estimates have a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution:

• 2013/14: respondents aged 18 to 24 years who are daily/occasional smokers
• 2015/16: respondents aged 18 to 24 years who are ex/tried smokers
• 2018 and 2022: respondents aged 65 years and over who are daily/occasional smokers.

The following estimates have not been published due to small numbers or a relative standard error greater than 50%:

• 2015/16, 2018, 2020 and 2021: respondents aged 18 to 24 years who are daily/occasional smokers
• 2020 and 2021: respondents aged 65 years and over who are daily/occasional smokers.

Statistically significant differences are difficult to detect for smaller jurisdictions such as the Australian Capital Territory. Sometimes, even large apparent differences may not be statistically significant. This is particularly the case in breakdowns of small populations because the small sample size means that there is not enough power to identify even large differences as statistically significant.

Chart

Proportion of adults aged 18 years and over who are daily/occasional smokers, ex-smokers and have never smoked, ACT General Health Survey, 2011-2022

Data

To access the data, select "View source data" link at the bottom of the visualisation. This link will open up a data table that you can download.

Codes and sources

Q. Which of the following best describes your smoking status?
Smoke daily
Smoke occasionally
Don't smoke now, but used to
Tried it a few times but never smoked regularly
Never smoked
Don't know
Refused

Don't know and refused responses were excluded from analysis.

A copy of the ACT General Health Survey questionnaires can be found in Data collections.