Stop clichés! According to a new British study conducted by University College London (whose work was based in particular on annual figures produced by the Health Survey for England), young people aged 16 to 24 are drinking less and less alcohol … by choice.
The figures speak for themselves: in 2015, 29% of the 9,699 people questioned declared that they “rarely drink alcohol”, whereas they were “only” 18% in 2005. In 2005, the proportion of people stating that they had “never had alcohol” was 9%, rising to 17% in 2015.
The practice of binge-drinking, for its part (which occasionally concerned 27% of respondents in 2005) has also decreased since it only concerned 18% of young Britons in 2015. In addition, in 2015, they were 50% refrain from drinking alcohol during the week, against 35% in 2005.
“Risky behavior no longer seems to be valued”
“This tendency to abandon alcohol is present in all social categories, regardless of education level and income”, analyzes Dr Linda Ng Fat, main author of this work published in the specialized journal BMC Public Health.
“Alcohol no longer seems to be a factor of integration among young people, and risky behavior no longer seems to be valued. However, we have noticed that there is still a very strong link between alcohol and tobacco since smokers continue to consume alcohol, without noticeable reduction. “
In France, the situation seems slightly different since, according to a survey published in April 2015 by INPES, “among 18-25 year-olds, in nearly ten years, from 2005 to 2014, the proportion of people having experienced drunkenness in the year has gone from 33% to 46%, and the share of those who have known at least three has almost doubled, from 15% to 29% ”.
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