A first-of-its-kind study has debunked many common myths about who smokes in Australia, in a bid to better support the nation’s 2.5 million daily smokers.
The ANU study, the first national population profile of smokers, counters widespread perceptions that they are largely uneducated, unemployed and suffer poor mental health. Instead, the findings make clear smoking affects the whole community.
Senior author, Professor Emily Banks, said their results would help break down stigma surrounding people who smoke, while ensuring that supports are better targeted for the people who need them.
“Smoking remains Australia’s leading cause of premature death and disability, so it’s vital that we better understand who smokes and the reasons why they do,” Professor Banks said.
“People who smoke are often stigmatised and stereotyped as uneducated, unemployed, and mentally ill, a perception reinforced by the tactics employed by the tobacco industry, which has a history of targeting specific population groups.
“For example, when an R. J. Reynolds executive was asked in 1998 why he didn’t smoke, he responded: ‘We don’t smoke the shit. We just sell it. We reserve the right to smoke for the young, the poor, the black, and the stupid.’
“No other study nationally or internationally has sought to comprehensively understand this.”
The study revealed that about 60% of people who smoked were men, 65% lived in major cities and 92% were non-Indigenous, while 69% had completed year 12, 69% of those of working age were in paid employment and 73% had good mental health.
“Although smoking is more common in people who are experiencing structural disadvantage – like people in more remote areas, Indigenous peoples, those with less education and those living in poverty – most people who smoke are educated, employed and in good mental health, similar to the total population of Australia,” lead author, ANU medical student Jessica Aw said.
Men and women born in Australia comprised the largest proportion of daily smokers at 40.4% and 32.1%, respectively, compared to 18.4% of men born overseas and 9.1% of women.
For an estimated 42.1% of daily smokers of working age (25–64 years), their highest educational attainment was a trade certificate or a diploma; 13.3% had a tertiary level of education, while 31.0% had not completed year 12 (high school).
“People need to ‘see themselves’ in material and campaigns tackling tobacco,” Professor Banks said.
“Effective, relevant communications reflect the lives of people who smoke. We need both broad messages and specific approaches for priority populations, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, while taking care not to frame it as an issue unique to one particular group.”
The findings were published in the Medical Journal of Australia.