Differences in responses to anti-smoking initiatives: evidence from the Australian National Health Surveys, 1989-2001

This paper looks at changing patterns of smoking behaviour (smoking prevalence, initiation and cessation) across the population of Australia in general and within specific demographic segments. It concludes that different segments have responded differently to a standard anti-smoking message strategy applied in a largely undifferentiated way, across the population. Overall smoking prevalence has not continued to decline in Australia, despite increasingly strident anti-smoking campaigns. Similarly the young people, especially young women, have continued to take up smoking. Males have been less likely to quit (become ex-smokers). This may suggest that current confidence that smoking prevalence will decline to zero, if the current standard strategy is maintained, may be misplaced. The data suggest that there is a need for a re-examination of social marketers’ anti-smoking segmentation strategy.