The 1996 Health Education Monitoring Survey (HEMS) was the second in a series of surveys designed to measure progress towards achieving a set of health promotion indicators relating to health-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour (developed by the Health Education Authority) of a sample of adults aged 16-74. Estimates from this survey were to be compared with those produced by the 1995 survey to see whether any change had taken place. Household characteristics; socio-demographic characteristics of respondents; general health; behaviour in the sun; smoking; drinking; physical activity; nutrition; drug use; sexual health.