Young people leading the way on responsible drinking
Young people are leading the way when it comes to responsible drinking, according to a Channel 4 poll, as drinks industry and local government efforts start to effect cultural change.
Young people are leading the way when it comes to responsible drinking, according to a Channel 4 poll, as drinks industry and local government efforts start to effect cultural change.
A poll carried out by ComRes shows one in four 16 to 30-year-olds has chosen not to drink alcohol.
One quarter of the under 30s polled said they didn't want it to affect their judgement, while 43% said they avoided alcohol because of health and fitness concerns. Forty percent said it was really "embarrassing" to get drunk.
Young people are drinking less alcoholAs recognised in the Channel 4 poll, young people are drinking less alcohol, and engaging in less risky behaviours than previously.
A spokesman for the Portman Group said: "This latest Channel 4 poll underlines what government statistics have been telling us for a decade - there has been a seismic shift in young peoples' attitudes towards risky behaviours and that they are leading the way in responsible drinking.
"The drinks industry, in partnership with government, local authorities, police, health services and local communities have been working hard to encourage these positive cultural changes through tougher enforcement, better ID schemes and targeted education programmes. We would like to see even more detailed research into why this is happening and how best to work together to build on these positive trends."
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Young people drinking |
Channel 4 news is hosting a series of programmes on Why does my granny have more fun? Which focuses on the "chasm" between young people and the over-60s when it comes to attitudes towards alcohol. Older people polled said they drink nearly twice as often as the under 30s: an average of 2.68 days of the previous week, compared with an average of 1.36 days for their younger counterparts.
Changing attitudes among younger people are also made clear in additional figures from the Office of National Statistics, which show binge drinking has fallen fastest among the young - down 37% for men and 31% for women between 2005 and 2012.
In the 11-15 age, drinking has fallen to its lowest levels since records began in 1988, with 39% saying they never tried an alcoholic drink in 2013 (Health and Social Care Information Centre).
Attitudes are also changing with the proportion of 11-15s thinking it's not ok to drink alcohol once a week rising from 61% in 2004 to 72% in 2012 (Health and Social Care Information Centre).
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