Australia’s unhealthy habits 2026

Most Australians are engaging in multiple unhealthy behaviours despite knowing it isn’t good for them. Nine in 10 (90%) said they have at least one unhealthy habit they can’t kick, with the average person continuing 3.7 unhealthy habits.

Just under a third of Aussies (31%) report keeping five or more unhealthy habits, and almost half (49%) report a modern unhealthy habit that can be tied to phone use or a recent social media trend. Most Australians are also unable to kick their bad habits long term, with 86% of respondents reporting at least one long-standing unhealthy behaviour.

The unhealthy habits that Australians are least likely to shake off are food and drink-related. Almost a third (32%) of Australians say they find themselves snacking when bored or stressed, and 31% say they eat processed and sugary foods despite knowing the consumption won’t do them any favours.

The one habit near the top that isn’t food or drink is scrolling on social media for hours, especially before bed, reported by 29% of respondents. Further down the list, more than a quarter (26%) of Aussies report drinking alcohol, and 24% drink soft drinks.

This year, iSelect’s research also explored health trend-related habits to understand how social media and popular health fads are influencing healthy lifestyles. While the percentages are relatively low compared to other habits, 6% of respondents admit to habits such as relying on protein powders and supplements, choosing electrolyte drinks over water, or being overly focused on calories, equivalent to around 1 in 17 people. A further 4% reported using unprescribed peptides and optimisation treatments despite knowing the potential risks, equivalent to around 1 in 25 people. 

Unhealthy habits most often found together

Certain habits appear to cluster together, suggesting unhealthy habits may be part of a wider lifestyle pattern, making the behaviours even harder to kick. More than half of all people who say they frequently eat fast food or takeaway also consume soft drinks (55%), and 64% of fast food and takeaway consumers also say they eat processed and sugary foods.

Unsurprisingly, scrolling on social media at night and first thing in the morning is also very common. Two thirds (62%) of people who scroll as soon as they wake up also scroll for hours before bed. Bedtime scrollers are also more likely to snack when bored or stressed, with 54% reporting these two behaviours.

The unhealthy habits Australians won’t give up by age

Gen Z reports the most unhealthy habits, averaging 4.3 per person, with almost all 18- to 30-year-olds reporting at least one. They’re also the most likely to struggle to break long-standing behaviours, with 93% unable to kick a habit compared with 86% overall. Millennials and Gen X show similar patterns across most measures.

While around a third of people across all age groups snack when bored or eat processed foods, bigger differences emerge in technology use and substance habits. Gen Z are more likely to spend hours scrolling social media, particularly before bed (39% vs 15% of Baby Boomers), while Gen X are the most likely age group to drink alcohol when they know they shouldn’t (35%, ahead of the 28% of over-60s). Gen Z are also more than eight times as likely as Baby Boomers to repeatedly snooze their alarm (25% vs 3%) and are more likely to use AI for simple tasks (17% vs 3%).

Younger generations are also more likely to engage in habits linked to social media health trends. Protein powder and supplement use is reported by 8% of Gen Z and 9% of Millennials, compared with 4% of Gen X and 3% of Baby Boomers. Millennials are most likely to rely on electrolytes for hydration (10%), while Gen Z are more likely to be overly focused on calorie-counting (11%) and to use peptides (7%), compared with just 2% and 1% of Baby Boomers, respectively.

The unhealthy habits Australians won’t give up by gender

Few differences emerged between genders overall, although women reported slightly more unhealthy habits on average than men (3.9 vs 3.5). Men and women were similarly likely to have at least one unhealthy habit (92% and 89%). However, women were more likely to engage in five or more unhealthy habits (35% vs 27%) and to report a modern habit tied to phones, AI, or wellness trends (55% vs 43%). Long-standing habits were common across both genders, with 85% of women and 88% of men saying they struggle to kick a long-term behaviour.

When it comes to specific unhealthy habits, there are some notable differences between the behaviours that men and women are unable to kick. Whilst 35% of women scroll for hours on their phone before bed, just 22% of men say the same. A similar story is seen for scrolling first thing in the morning, with 28% of women reporting this behaviour compared to just 15% of men. Women are also more likely to eat sugary and processed foods (36% vs 26%), while snacking when bored or stressed is about as common among women as it is men (34% vs 30%).

There is also a clear difference between men and women in alcohol consumption. A third of male respondents (33%) reported this unhealthy behaviour, compared to just 19% of women. This makes drinking alcohol one of the biggest differences between the genders, with men 14 percentage points more likely to identify it as a habit they struggle to give up.

The unhealthy habits Australians won’t give up by state

Queensland reports consistently high rates of unhealthy habits, with 93% having at least one and just 7% reporting none. Victoria sits a little above the national average across the headline measures (3.8 habits on average, against 3.7 nationally), while NSW records the lowest average number of habits (3.3, with Western Australia next at 3.6) and lowest uptake of modern habits (45%). In Western Australia, 13% reported none of the listed habits, compared with 10% nationally.

Location can also influence which specific unhealthy habits Aussies struggle to kick. South Australia records the highest average number of habits (4.4), with 41% reporting five or more.

Late-night scrolling is particularly common in Queensland and South Australia, where 37% report the habit, compared with 21% in NSW and 29% nationally. Queensland is among the states with the highest share reporting processed, sugary foods, at 34% against the national average of 31%.

NSW reports the lowest rates of several habits, including late-night scrolling, skipping exercise, scrolling first thing in the morning and driving instead of walking. Meanwhile, Western Australia has the highest share of people who drink coffee on an empty stomach, at 25% compared with the national average of 19%.