Queenslanders are the least likely Australians to use sunscreen regularly, despite the state having the highest rate of skin cancer in the country.
New insights from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on sun protection behaviours across the country showed just over one in three people in Queensland (35.3 percent) used sunscreen on most days, lower than the national figure of 38.1 percent.
In research conducted over the 2023-24 summer, the ABS found three in five Aussies (60.6 percent) spent more than 15 minutes outdoors during peak UV times, with one in 14 saying they had been sunburned in the previous week.
The data showed less than 40 percent of Australians used SPF30 or higher sunscreen on most days, with females more likely than males to wear sunscreen (48.8 percent compared to 27 percent), across every age group.
The survey revealed, of those who were outside in the sun during peak UV times for more than 15 minutes:
- 63.7 percent wore sunglasses.
- 55.6 percent stayed in the shade.
- 51 percent wore a broad brimmed hat or cap with a back flap.
- 49.4 percent used SPF30 or higher sunscreen.
- 38.4 percent wore clothing or swimwear that covered at least three-quarters of legs.
- 34.7 percent wore clothing or swimwear that covered at least three-quarters of arms.
The research found Tasmanians were more likely to experience sunburn compared to all Australians (11.3 percent compared to 6.9 percent), while almost one in 10 (9.4 percent) of Australians attempted to get a suntan in the past 12 months.
