Publications

Young people’s perceptions of parental attitudes and rules about smoking are associated with youth smoking, and these perceptions may be an even stronger influence on youth smoking than parental smoking behaviour. Participants in the Health Promotion Agency’s (HPA’s) Youth Insights Survey (YIS) were asked to ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’, or to indicate ‘don’t know’ in response to the following statements - 'My parents or caregivers would be upset if I was caught smoking cigarettes/tobacco' and 'My parents or caregivers have set rules with me about not smoking cigarettes/tobacco'.

In New Zealand, a third of people who have ever tried alcohol report having had their first drink when they were 14-years-old or younger. It is, therefore, important to understand more about the use of alcohol among this age group. The Health Promotion Agency’s Youth Insights Survey monitors Year 10 students’ behaviours, attitudes, and knowledge on a range of health-related topics, including their use of alcohol.

A key source of New Zealand data on youth smoking is the Health Promotion Agency’s Youth Insights Survey. The Youth Insights Survey monitors Year 10 students’ behaviours, attitudes and knowledge on a range of tobacco-related topics, including about their opinions on the taxation of tobacco.

In March 2011, the New Zealand Government committed to a goal of New Zealand becoming ‘smokefree’ by the year 2025, where less than 5% of the population smokes. The Health Promotion Agency’s Youth Insights Survey monitors Year 10 students’ behaviours, attitudes and knowledge on a range of tobacco-related topics, including the Smokefree 2025 goal.

Participants in the 2012 Youth Insights Survey were asked how often they watched movies and movies that are R-rated, as well as whether any smoking they had seen on TV, movies or the internet in the past month made smoking seem more or less attractive to them.