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Youth Facts and Stats

Alcohol

2008
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2001-2007
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Underage Aussies drink more than their US counterparts

An international comparison of underage alcohol use conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne has found that rates of binge drinking among Australian 15-year-olds are higher than those of their American peers.

These findings come from the first stage of the International Youth Development Study. Approximately half of the study’s 6000 participants were located in Victoria, with the other half from the US state of Washington. These areas were selected for their similar size and demographic composition. Among the Australian participants, 30.1% of 15-year-old males and 31.1% of 15-year-old females reported binge drinking (having five or more drinks on any one occasion) within the past two weeks. These rates were approximately three times higher than binge drinking rates reported by the 15-year-old American participants (9.1% boys, 11.7% girls).

Study co-author Associate Professor John Toumbourou, from the Centre for Adolescent Health at Melbourne’s Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, said that the findings indicate that alcohol harm minimisation strategies employed in Australia, such as parents allowing teenagers to drink small amounts of alcohol to encourage responsible alcohol consumption, may not be working as well as the ‘zero tolerance’ approach used in the USA. ‘My suggestion to parents would be to recognise that there’s no protective effect from giving children alcohol,’ he said. The study is to be published in the journal Health Education & Behaviour.

Source:
Australian, 4/1/07, p.3.
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, 2006, Primary students show high rates of alcohol use, media release, 11 December, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, viewed 8 January 2007.


Australian secondary school students’ use of alcohol in 2005

Figures from the most recent national survey of drug and alcohol use among Australian secondary school students show mixed results regarding students’ alcohol consumption levels.

Data for the 2005 wave of the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) survey were collected from 21,805 male and female students aged 12–17 years from 376 secondary schools across Australia.

Christopher Pyne, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, said that while results from the 2005 survey show ‘some satisfying trends’, the misuse of alcohol by secondary students is ‘still a concern’, particularly among older students. The proportion of 16–17-year-olds that had ever tried alcohol remained relatively stable between 1999 (94%) and 2005 (95%). Likewise, the proportion of 16–17-year-olds who described themselves as current drinkers (those who consumed alcohol in the week prior to the survey) did not change significantly between 1999 (51%), 2002 (48%) and 2005 (47%). More significant reductions were recorded in this period, however, in the proportion of 12–15-year-olds who had ever tried alcohol or who were classed as current drinkers. In 2005, 82% of 12–15-year-olds had tried alcohol in their lifetime, down from 86% in 2002 and 87% in 1999. The proportion of 12–15-year-olds who were classed as current drinkers fell from 28% in 1999 to 22% in 2005.

Some other results from the survey:

Percentage of students reporting different levels of drinking experience by age and gender, Australia, 2005

                                                                                            Age (years)









12 13 14 15 16 17 Total
Never consumed alcohol





Male
24 18 15 9 6 4 14
Female
30 23 13 9 7 5 15
Total
27 20 14 9 6 4 14
Consumed alcohol in past year




Male 44 55 67 80 87 89 68
Female 34 48 70 81 86 89 66
Total 39 52 68 80 86 89 67
Consumed alcohol in past month






Male 20 28 41 54 69 72 45
Female 13 24 41 54 64 69 42
Total 17 26 41 54 67 70 43
Consumed alcohol in past week (current drinker)






Male 12 17 29 36 48 52 30
Female 7 15 25 34 44 46 27
Total 10 16 27 35 46 49 29
Drank on one occasion in past week (Males: 7+ drinks, females: 5+ drinks)













Male <0.5 2 5 11 19 23 9
Female <0.5 1 7 10 18 20 9
Total <0.5 2 6 11 19 21 9
Total amount consumed in 1 week (Males: 29+ drinks, females: 15+ drinks)














Male <0.5 <0.5 1 2 2 3 1
Female <0.5 <0.5 2 3 4 4 2
Total <0.5 <0.5 2 2 3 4 2

















 

Most common sources of alcohol for those who drank alcohol in the past week, *# Australia, 2005

                                                                                       Age (years)

12–15  (%)

16–17 (%)

Total 12–17  (%)







Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total
Did not buy, supplied by:








Parents 40 39 39 33 37 35 37 38 37
Siblings
10 7 9 7 6 7 9 6 8
Took from home
6 7 6 2 1 2 4 4 4
Friends
18 23 20 15 18 17 17 21 19
Bought by someone else
15 17 16 23 26 24 18 21 20
Bought from:








Liquor store/supermarket 1 1 1 5 1 3 3 1 2
Bottle shop
<0.5 <0.5 <0.5 3 1 2 2 1 1
Drive-in bottle shop
1 <0.5 1 3 2 2 2 1 2
Bar/pub/RSL club
1 <0.5 1 3 2 3 2 1 1

*Percentages of total in each age and gender category.
# Additional sources of alcohol were included in the survey. As only the most common sources are shown, percentages do not add up to 100%.

 

 

Most usual places for drinking by students who had consumed alcohol in the previous week (percentage), Australia, 2005

                                                                                          Age (years)


 12 13 14 15 16 17 Total (%)
12–17
Home






Male 53 43 35 31 24 24 32
Female 45 42 30 25 23 23 27
Total 50 43 33 28 24 23 30
Party






Male 16 18 27 30 39 37 31
Female 18 27 32 38 39 36 35
Total 17 22 29 34 39 36 33
Friend's home





Male 10 9 14 14 16 17 14
Female 7 11 13 16 18 17 15
Total 9 10 14 15 17 17 15
Public space (beach/park)





Male 3 9 7 7 4 2 5
Female 4 4 5 5 3 1 4
Total 3 7 6 6 4 2 5








The ASSAD surveys have been conducted every three years since 1984. The 2005 survey was co-ordinated by The Cancer Council Victoria’s Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, with assistance from State Cancer Councils, State Health Departments and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. The three reports emanating from the survey, Australian secondary school students’ use of alcohol in 2005, Smoking behaviours of Australian secondary students in 2005, and Australian secondary school students’ use of over-the-counter and illicit substances in 2005 are available from the National Drug Strategy website: http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au

For more data from the individual reports, see the Tobacco and Other drugs links under Drugs on the left sidebar.

Sources:
White, V. & Hayman, J. 2006, Monograph 58: Australian secondary school students’ use of alcohol in 2005, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (Drug Strategy Branch), Canberra, viewed 19 December 2006.

Pyne, C. (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) 2006, Youth smoking, drug use down, but no room for complacency, media release, 24 November, Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, viewed 6 December 2006.

Quit Victoria 2006, Latest national youth smoking rates released, media release, 24 November, Quit Victoria, viewed 6 December 2006.

ABS data on the drinking behaviours of young people, 2004–05

These data on the drinking behaviours of young Australians aged 18–24 years have been taken from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Health Survey 2004–05:

  • 61% of 18–24-year-olds surveyed had consumed alcohol in the week prior to the survey.
  • Males (65%) were more likely to consume alcohol than females (56%).
  • Most popular alcoholic drinks for males: full-strength beer (42%), spirits/liqueurs (37%), wine (8%) and mid-strength beer (5%).
  • Most popular alcoholic drinks for females: spirits/liqueurs (37%), wine (19%), full-strength beer (11%) and champagne/sparkling wine (6%).
  • Males (68%) were more likely than females (58%) to report binge drinking in the past 12 months (binge drinking = 5 or more standard drinks per day for females, 7 or more standard drinks per day for males).
  • Males (19%) were also more likely than females (11%) to report binge drinking at least once per week.
  • 14% (265,000) of the young people surveyed consumed alcohol at risky or high-risk levels in the week prior to the survey (15% of males, 13% of females).

Percentage of youth aged 18–24 years consuming alcohol
at risky or high-risk levels 1995–2005

High-risk alcohol consumption is defined as over 75mls of pure alcohol per day for males and over 50 mls per day for females, while risky alcohol consumption is defined as 50–75mls per day for males and 25–50mls per day for females.

For further information: Australian Bureau of Statistics  National Health Survey 2004–05 (cat. No. 4364.0) [viewed 30/11/2006].

The following data on alcohol consumption among young Australians is taken from the ABS release Alcohol consumption in Australia: A snapshot 2004–05. This release uses data from sources such as the National Health Survey 2004–05 (NHS), the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2004–05 (NATSIHS), and the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS)

14–19-year-olds

  • In 2004, 25% of 14–19-year-olds reported drinking alcohol on either a daily or weekly basis during the past 12 months (compared with 50% of the general population 14 years and over).
  • Of those 14–19-year-olds who reported drinking at risky or high-risk levels, 77% of males usually consumed regular-strength beer, while 85% of females usually consumed bottled spirits and liqueurs.

18–24-year-olds

  • Among risky and high-risk drinkers in this age group, 75% drank spirits and liqueurs, compared to 56% of low-risk drinkers of the same age.
  • 25% of people in this age group reported experiencing an injury event in the past four weeks (27% of males and 23% of females). 1.7% of males and 1.5% of females reported a recent injury event while under the influence of alcohol or another substance.
  • Among Indigenous young people in this age group, 20% of males and 14% of females consumed alcohol at risky or high-risk levels in 2004–05.

Sources:
Australian Bureau of Statistics National Children and Youth Statistics Unit, 2006, Children and Youth News, n.7, Australian Bureau of Statistics [viewed 30/11/2006].
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006, Alcohol consumption in Australia: A snapshot 2004–05, Australian Bureau of Statistics [viewed 30/11/2006].
Sydney Morning Herald, 26/8/06, p.6.

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Victorian study examines predictors and consequences of teenage binge drinking, 2006

Behavioural problems in children as young as five years old can be a precursor to binge drinking in teenage years, while abstinence from alcohol during adolescence may protect young people from harmful levels of alcohol use in early adulthood, according to new research from the University of Melbourne.

Using data from an extensive longitudinal study based at the Australian Institute of Family Studies in which young Victorians were followed from infancy to 22 years of age, the research found that early behavioural problems, difficult temperament and poor social skills were predictors of binge drinking in adolescence.

Dr Katie Waters used data from over 1,600 young people participating in the Australian Temperament Project to analyse young people’s alcohol use and identify early predictors and later consequences of different drinking patterns.

The young people fell into five distinctive groups: those who abstained from drinking entirely between the ages of 13 and 18 years (7% of participants), light drinkers (19%), moderate drinkers (60%), heavy drinkers (12%) and those who binged regularly throughout these years (2%). Young people in the final category experienced harmful consequences as a result of their drinking, such as memory loss, physical injury and school and family troubles. Half of the adolescents had used alcohol by 14 years, rising to over 90% by 18 years. The amount of binge drinking recorded increased throughout adolescence.

Sixty 22-year-olds, with a variety of drinking patterns, were also interviewed by Dr Waters as part of her research.

Other findings from the study:

  • No difference between male and female patterns of adolescent alcohol use was recorded.
  • Alcohol use increased ‘remarkably’ between adolescence and adulthood among all groups, with those who drank moderately in adolescence experiencing the biggest increase in alcohol consumption in young adulthood.
  • Adolescent abstainers, although generally no longer abstinent, were not drinking at harmful levels in younger adulthood.


Results from Dr Waters’ study suggest that moderate alcohol use in adolescence does not protect young people from harmful alcohol consumption patterns in the future, while abstinence from alcohol during adolescence may protect against future levels of harmful alcohol consumption.

Dr Waters said, however, that her research also indicated that ‘young adolescent drinking patterns did not seem to influence a young person’s social and psychological adjustment in early adulthood’.

Sources:
University of Melbourne, 2006, Childhood behaviour problems can predict teenage binge drinking, media release 28 August, University of Melbourne [viewed 30/11/2006].
Australian Financial Review, 4/9/06, p.34
Northern Territory News, 2/9/06, p.25
Sunday Times, 27/8/06, p.28
Adelaide Advertiser, 26/8/06, p.23
Sydney Morning Herald, 26/8/06, p.6
Age, 26/8/06, p.5
Canberra Times, 26/8/06, p.4
Herald Sun, 26/8/06, p.20
MX (Melbourne), 25/8/06, p.7

Study highlights impact of pre-mixed alcoholic drinks on adolescent drinking, 2006

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre has called on the alcohol industry to exercise great caution when using milk as a base for ready to drink (RTD) products following the results of a study showing that adolescents find it hard to detect the presence of alcohol in these products.

Researchers from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales tested the palatability of a range of alcoholic- and non-alcoholic beverages with 350 participants across five age groups: 12–13 years, 14–15 years, 16–17 years, 18–23 years and 24–30 years. Results found that the pre-mixed vodka and milk product and (to a lesser extent) the pre-mixed rum and soft drink product used in the study were favoured as the most palatable pre-mixed drinks by 12–17-year-olds. These drinks were perceived to be more like their soft drink base than their alcohol component. The palatability of alcohol to participants was found to increase with age.

Other findings:

  • A majority of participants aged 12–13 years (56%) and participants aged 14–15 years (73%) believed that the pre-mixed rum and soft drink product used in the study was marketed to their age groups.
  • Over 40% participants aged 12–15 years said that they first tried alcohol in the form of pre-mixed spirits.
  • The number of participants aged 15–17 who drank pre-mixed alcoholic products doubled from 14% to 29% between 2000 and 2002.

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre: http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au

Source: Daily Telegraph, 03/04/06, p.13.
Sydney Morning Herald, 03/04/06, p.1.
Herald Sun, 04/04/06, p.22.
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre media release Are ‘ready to drinks’ more palatable to young people? New study recommends great caution with milk-based drinks [viewed 30/11/2006].

Alcohol-related harm, 2005

According to research presented by National Drug Research Institute Director Steve Allsop at the Underage Drinking Forum at Parliament House, June 2005:

  • Young people experienced disproportionate levels of acute harms, such as road injury and violence, and a significant proportion drank alcohol at risky levels
  • Two-thirds of 14- to 17-year-olds drink alcohol
  • More 12- to 15-year-olds are drinking
  • Young women are overtaking young men when it comes to drinking at levels that risk long-term harm
  • Between 1993 and 2002, alcohol-attributable injury and disease killed 500 underage drinkers aged 14–17 and 2,643 15- to 24-year-olds
  • Tens of thousands more were hospitalised
  • In the 12 months preceding the survey, 480,000 teenagers were verbally abused, and
  • 150,000 were physically abused by someone under the influence of alcohol.

Source: Canberra Times, 23/6/2005, p.9.
National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, media release, 22/6/2005, The neglected drug killing our teenagers [viewed 30/11/2006].

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The 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey

‘The 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey was built on the design of the 2001 survey, making it the most comprehensive survey concerning licit and illicit drug use ever undertaken in Australia. Almost 30,000 people aged 12 years and over provided information on their drug use patterns, attitudes and behaviours. The sample was based on households, therefore homeless and institutionalised persons were not included in the survey (consistent with the approach in previous years).’

From the report:
Alcohol use of younger people:
In 2004:

  • Fewer than one in 1,000 persons (0.1%) aged 12 to 15 years reported drinking daily and approximately one in 200 (0.6%) 16- to 17-year-olds reported drinking daily.
  • Approximately 30% of 12- to 15-year-olds reported drinking less than weekly; this result was consistent for both males and females.
  • 87.1% of 18- to 19-year-olds reported drinking daily, weekly or less-than-weekly, compared with 77.4% of 16- to 17-year-olds and 32.4% of 12- to 15-year-olds.
Table: Alcohol drinking status: proportion of the population aged 12–19 years of age and all ages, by age and sex, Australia, 2004. (Estimates of alcohol use by younger people should be interpreted with caution due to the low prevalence and smaller sample sizes for these age groups).




Age group
Drinking status 12–15 16–17 18–19 Aged 12–19 Aged 12+
(per cent)
Males
Daily 0.1 1.0 1.3 0.6 11.6
Weekly 3.3 21.9 51.5 20.1 46.0
Less than weekly 28.3 53.2 32.8 35.6 27.1
Ex-drinker(a) 3.3 2.9 1.4 2.7 5.9
Never a full glass of alcohol 64.9 21.0 13.0 41.0 9.4
Females
Daily - 0.3 0.9 0.3 5.6
Weekly 3.2 21.3 39.1 16.8 33.9
Less than weekly 29.8 57.2 48.8 41.4 38.6
Ex-drinker(a) 2.2 3.5 1.2 2.3 8.0
Never a full glass of alcohol 64.8 17.7 10.0 39.2 13.8
Persons
Daily 0.1 0.6 1.1 0.5 8.6
Weekly 3.3 21.6 45.4 18.5 39.9
Less than weekly 29.1 55.2 40.6 38.5 32.9
Ex-drinker(a) 2.8 3.2 1.3 2.5 6.9
Never a full glass of alcohol 64.8 19.4 11.6 40.1 11.6






(a) Has consumed at least a full serve of alcohol, but not in the last 12 months.
Note: Statistical significance testing was not undertaken for this table.

Download full report, in PDF version [viewed 30/11/2006].

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Drink spiking: Victims' experiences, 2004

A 2004 report, commissioned by the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy and prepared by the Australian Institute of Criminology, has highlighted a number of important issues associated with drink spiking, including estimates of prevalence, prevention and education strategies and laws governing drink spiking. A range of data was collected on information about victims' experiences. This data found:
  • Drink spiking is under-reported to the police, medical agencies and other authorities.
  • Overall, only one-quarter of victims reported the incident to the police.
  • Just over 20% reported to a doctor, while just under 20% reported to a hospital.
  • Approx. 13% reported the incident to bar staff.
  • 43% of incidents that were reported to police were reported on either the day of the incident or the day after, while
  • 31% were not reported until at least a week had passed (some were longer than a month).
  • 87% of victims who reported to a hospital did so within a day – often because they required treatment.
Full report : Australian Institute of Criminology [viewed 30/11/2006].

Source: AIC Crime Facts Info No.86.
Taylor, N, Prichard, J & Charlton, K 2004, National project on drink spiking: Investigating the nature and extent of drink spiking in Australia. Report prepared for the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, Canberra.

Teenage drinking, 2002

Most drug-related deaths of young Australians are due to alcohol.
Young people now start to drink at a younger age:
  • In 2002, 63% of teens had their first drink at age 14. (Only 9% of people over 65 had their first drink at 14).
  • In 1998:
814 people aged 15 to 34 died as a result of the use of alcohol.
650 people aged 15 to 34 died using illicit drugs.
  • 58% of the time alcohol is the drug involved for substance-related admission into hospitals for people aged 15 to 34.
  • Just under 70% of teenagers aged 14 to 17 get alcohol from friends or relatives.
  • Just under 50% of girls and 44% of boys buy alcohol from shops.
  • 30% of 13- to 17-year-olds participated in unsupervised drinking at a sports club and 71% of these had never been asked for proof of age.

Consequences of alcohol use for young people aged between 13 and 18:

  • Involvement with drink-driving as a driver or passenger
  • Injury to themselves or others through activities that involve risk or a degree of skill
  • Long- and short-term harm of health
  • Aggression or violence as the victim or perpetrator
  • Sexual risk taking, including unprotected and/or unwanted sexual activity
  • Loss of face, reputation, embarrassment
  • Impaired school or work performance and/or attendance
  • Legal and financial problems
  • Increased use of tobacco

What 14- to 17-year-olds are doing:

Drinking patterns of teenagers aged between 14 and 17:
  • 78% have drunk alcohol at least once
  • 45% drink less than weekly
  • 28% drink weekly
  • 0.4% drink daily
By the time a teenager reaches 17:
  • 95% will have consumed alcohol
  • 55% will have had a drink in the past week
Source: The Australian Drug Foundation at the Salvation Army web site.

Anti-social behaviour and drinking, 2003

The Victorian Youth Alcohol and Drug Survey in 2003 reported the following statistics after surveying 3,084 young people aged 16–24.

16% of males and 7% of females reported being involved in a public disturbance while under the influence of alcohol.

17% of males and 9% of females reported that they had driven a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

30% of males and 21% of females reported verbally abusing someone while under the influence of alcohol.

46% of male respondents reported that they had been verbally abused by someone who was under the influence of alcohol, compared with 34% of females.

20% of female respondents reported that they had been put in fear by someone under the influence of alcohol, compared with 16% of males.

Source: Premier’s Drug Prevention Council, 2003, Victorian Youth Alcohol and Drug Survey, Premier’s Drug Prevention Council, Melbourne, pp. 4–5, viewed 30/11/2006].

What young people are drinking, 2002

A research report published by the Department of Health and Ageing describes the alcohol consumption patterns of teenagers aged 15–17, based on the findings of four national surveys that were conducted between February 2000 and February 2002.

In the February 2002 survey, amongst all the respondents who had consumed alcohol within the previous 3 months:

  • over half reported consuming spirits on their last drinking occasion (55%), almost 3 in 10 (29%) of those stating that they had consumed pre-mixed spirits;
  • approximately 1 in 5 drinkers reported consuming full-strength beer (22%) and alcoholic soda/cider/cooler (20%) on their last drinking occasion;
  • more than 1 in 10 drinkers (13%) reported consuming wine.

There was a significant increase in the proportion of teenage drinkers consuming pre-mixed spirits:
… February 2000: 14%
… February 2002: 29%

The proportion of teenage drinkers consuming full-strength beer declined over the same period:
… February 2000: 31%
… February 2002: 22%

In the February 2002 survey, the most popular alcoholic drinks consumed by males were:

  • spirits (49%)
  • full-strength beer (37%)
  • pre-mixed spirits (22%) (these are a sub-category of spirits)

In the February 2002 survey the most popular drinks amongst females were:

  • spirits (60%)
  • pre-mixed spirits (37%) (these are a sub-category of spirits)
  • alcoholic soda/cider/cooler (33%)

Average number of drinks consumed by males on their last drinking occasion:


Average number of drinks consumed by females on their last drinking occasion:


Over the two-year study, the proportion of 15–17-year-olds who said that they had consumed at least 10 alcoholic drinks in their lives remained relatively stable at approximately 55% of males and females, increasing with age.

However, the proportion of 16-year-old girls reporting this drinking status has increased over the period.

It is clear that many teenagers are putting themselves at risk by drinking at very high levels. In the February 2002 survey, approximately 44% of male drinkers and 43% of female drinkers reported consuming alcohol on their last drinking occasion at levels designated in the Australian Alcohol Guidelines (NHMRC, 2001) to represent a risk to the health of adults (more than six standard drinks for males and more than four standard drinks for females).

Source: King, E, Ball, J & Carroll, T 2003, Alcohol consumption patterns among Australian 15-17 year olds from February 2000 to February 2002, Department of Health and Ageing’s National Alcohol Campaign, Canberra [viewed 30/11/2006].

Alcopops popular, 2003

An Australian Divisions of General Practice study of 400 people aged 12-21 found that alcopops were the most popular alcoholic drink, with 75% of respondents saying they drank one at least once a week. 45% of female respondents said an alcopop was the last alcoholic drink they had had, compared with 33% of males.

Alcopops were most popular with underage drinkers: about half of the 106 12- to 14-year-old drinkers said it was their last drink (compared with 38.8% of the total respondents saying it was their last drink).

Alcopops usually have a base of wine or spirits and sweet flavours such as passionfruit and raspberry and contain about 5% alcohol (more than most full-strength beers, according to the ADGP).

Some 12- and 13-year-old girls reported drinking eight or more alcopops a night – the equivalent of about 12 nips of whisky or six glasses of wine. The ADGP's chairman, Dr Rob Walters, said the survey suggested that alcopop drinkers got drunk more often than people who drank other alcoholic beverages.

Source: West Australian, 3/1/04, p. 40. A report of the AGDP's survey, Ready to Drink? Alcopops and Youth Binge Drinking
is available online [viewed 30/11/2006].