On 28 April 2016, the ABS released the 2014-15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey.1 The survey was conducted from September 2014 to June 2015 with a sample of 11,178 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in private dwellings across Australia. The report shows that in 2014-15:
- the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people daily smokers aged 15 years and over was 39% in 2014-15, down from 45% in 2008 and 49% in 2002;
- in 2002, 51% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males aged 15 years and over were daily smokers, the daily rate declined to 46% in 2008 and to 41% in 2014-15;
- in 2002, 47% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females aged 15 years and over were daily smokers, the daily rate declined to 43% in 2008 and to 36% in 2014-15;
- fewer young people are starting to smoke with a significant decrease in daily smoking rates of those aged 15-24, down to 31% in 2014-15 from 39% in 2008; and
- the data indicates that the majority of the change in daily smoking rates has occurred in non-remote areas. In 2014-15, 47% of people aged 15 years and over in remote areas smoked daily (down from 50% in 2002) compared with 37% in non-remote locations (down from 48% in 2002).
1 ABS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2014–15, released 28 April 2016. Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4714.0Main+Features22014-15?OpenDocument.