Young people & alcohol | findings

Young people were more likely to have tried alcohol if they were female or if they had been bullied in the last year (the latter being particularly associated with frequent drinking).
However, characteristics such as having an ethnic minority background and being religious were protective against trying alcohol.

Pupils were more likely to drink in schools where there was a higher proportion of white pupils or pupils who were not eligible for free school meals (FSM), regardless of their own ethnicity or eligibility for FSM.

Among young people who had not previously tried alcohol at ages 14 or 15, playing truant, shoplifting, going to parties or pubs and hanging around near home or in town, smoking and trying cannabis were all predictive of trying alcohol in the following year.

The relationship between trying alcohol and the subsequent engagement in other risky behaviours tended to be stronger than the other way around, with trying alcohol strongly predictive of increased truancy, smoking, trying cannabis, and particularly criminal behaviour.

Drinking was associated with a number of negative educational outcomes, including being not in employment, education or training (NEET), lower GCSE scores, and not remaining in full-time education beyond the age of 16. However, this was largely explained by links between drinking and other risky behaviours (in the case of being NEET and not remaining in full-time education) and more negative attitudes to education and aspirations for post-compulsory education (in the case of GCSE scores).