Do Australians think cocaine is the drug that causes most deaths in Australia?

When Australians were asked which drug they think directly or indirectly causes the most deaths in Australia, 4% chose cocaine. Approximately a third (34%) of people thought that alcohol caused the most deaths, while 20% chose meth/amphetamine.

When Australians were asked which drug they think directly or indirectly causes the most deaths in Australia, 34% chose alcohol, 20% meth/amphetamine, 19% tobacco, 12% heroin, 6% pain killers/pain-relievers/opioids, 4% cocaine, 3% ecstasy, 0.9% cannabis, and 2% another drug.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.

Please note: No statistical significance testing has been conducted on these data. As a result, no inferences can be made about whether the reported proportions are significantly different from one another.

Percentages may not tally to 100% due to rounding.