BACKGROUND: Illicit tobacco products are those for which required taxes or duties have not been paid. The Australian Taxation Office estimates that Australia's illicit tobacco market in Australia grew from 5.4% of the overall tobacco market in 2016/17 to 18% in 2022/23. Despite this, the last survey to comprehensively investigate Australians’ patterns of illicit tobacco use was conducted in 2007.
METHODS: We recruited a representative sample of 2551 Australians who smoke using a Qualtrics market research panel. Participants completed a 15-minute survey about their use of various tobacco products. Those who indicated at least weekly illicit tobacco use answered questions about their patterns of illicit tobacco use (e.g., amount used, product(s) used, source, reasons for use, factors that may deter use).
RESULTS: 509 (20%) participants indicated current daily or weekly use of illicit tobacco products. These participants most commonly reported buying branded cigarette packs (42.1%) from a tobacconist (33.4%) or convenience store (17.4%). Common reasons for purchasing illicit products were their cheaper price compared to legal products (43.4%) and/or not wanting to pay more taxes to the government (14.5%). Factors that may deter participants from using illicit tobacco products included a criminal charge (16.9%) or a large fine (>AUD$500; 14.4%), while 10.8% reported no intention to stop using illicit tobacco.
CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to comprehensively investigate Australians’ patterns of illicit tobacco use since 2007. Our prevalence estimate (20%) closely aligns with that of the Australian Taxation Office (18%). These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions that address illicit tobacco’s availability in legal retail settings and aim to deter its use through complementary supply and demand-side measures.