Manawatu-Wanganui – highest proportion of community and personal workers, fewer teenage smokers

4 February 2014

Latest results from the 2013 Census show that the Manawatu-Wanganui region has had the second-highest decrease in the number of teenage smokers in New Zealand, and is home to the highest proportion of community and personal workers.

2013 Census regional summary tables – part 2, released today, gives an interesting impression of the Manawatu-Wanganui region and its districts.

“For instance, the Manawatu-Wanganui region had the highest proportion of community or personal workers in 2013. On census night, 10,668 people in the region were employed in this occupation, which was 11.25 percent of the employed population,” Census Statistics Manager Gareth Meech said.

This aligns with industry figures, which show that 11.9 percent of employed people in the Manawatu-Wanganui region work in the health care and social assistance industry.

2013 Census results show a 24.2 percent decrease in the number of regular smokers in the region. In 2006, 23.9 percent of the adult population said they were regular smokers. By last year’s census that proportion had dropped to 18.0 percent – a difference of 9,282 people.

Among people aged 15–19 years the change was particularly significant, with the proportion of smokers in this age group dropping from 23.2 percent in 2006 to 12.6 percent last year. That’s a 51.4 percent drop, the second-biggest fall nationally, equating to 1,926 fewer young people lighting up.

“This local breakdown of census information is some of the most important, as it will help communities and service providers plan for the future,” Mr Meech said. “Providers of local services such as health, education, community, and recreational facilities can use census data to form a picture of the region and what it needs to succeed.”

2013 Census regional summary tables – part 2 has more information on topics such as religion, relationship status, occupation, and smoking.

ENDS

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