Australia’s unhealthiest habits

Australians share the guilty pleasures they refuse to quit

The unhealthy habits Aussies are not willing to give up by age group

The survey found that as Aussies age, the less likely they are to give up coffee. The percentage of respondents unwilling to give it up rose from a third (30.4%) of 18-24-year-olds to almost two-thirds (64.1%) for the 65 and older age group.  

Aussies surveyed are more likely to give up habits such as eating fast food and consuming sugary drinks as their age increases, with younger generations more likely to ignore the unhealthy effects of fast foods that could lead to obesity, heart disease, and various other health conditions. Fast food consumption was the highest within the 18-24-year-old age group, with 43.8% unwilling to give it up. This decreased with age – down to 20.5% of those aged 65 and older.  

There was a generational difference highlighted in the findings when it comes to tobacco and vaping consumption. Those who are aged 55 to 64-years felt the strongest about not quitting tobacco (17.9%), while 11.7% of 25 to 34-year-olds were unwilling to quit vaping. Both of these habits can lead to various health conditions such as cancer and chronic respiratory conditions.  

Another generational divide in the survey results was tanning, with almost 1 in 4 (20.5%) of 18 to 24-year-olds unwilling to give up such activities as sun exposure and tanning beds. This was almost double that of any other age group. Sun exposure is damaging to the skin and can cause skin cancer. Australia has one of the highest UV radiation levels in the world and the highest rates of skin cancer globally.  

The unhealthy habits Aussies are not willing to give up by location

Across all Australian states, coffee was the habit residents were most unwilling to give up, according to those surveyed. South Australians topped the list with two-thirds (64.8%) not willing to give up that morning coffee. Whereas Victoria is widely regarded as the state with the best coffee, it had the lowest percentage of people with just over half (52.3%) who wouldn’t give it up. While happier to give up coffee than other states, Victoria had the highest percentage of people (39.2%) who wouldn’t change their alcohol consumption habits.  

Queensland and South Australia placed as the top two states for three unhealthy eating and drinking habits including consuming sugary foods, fizzy drinks and fast foods according to survey participants. South Australia also ranked highest in excessive screen time with their commitment to doomscrolling with 21.1%, 7.2% higher than bottom-ranked New South Wales.  

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Methodology 

We commissioned an independent survey company Pureprofile to conduct a survey of 1,004 Australian adults to find out which unhealthy habits they wouldn’t give up despite their potential to cause negative health effects. 

The survey was conducted in line with the nationally representative percentage targets for age, gender and location (state). 

The survey asked: “What habits are you not willing to give up despite the negative health effects?”. Respondents could select as many options that they felt appropriate of the 20 common unhealthy habits provided to them. Percentages have been rounded and do not sum to 100% as respondents could select multiple options. 

Some data has been excluded due to small sample size, including Northern Territory, Tasmania and South Australia for states and non-binary for gender. Categories for level of education, working status and relationship status were amalgamated for more direct comparison. 

The survey was conducted and analysed in March, 2025.  

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