Background to the Research

• The YPBAS was conducted in 2000 and 2003, and the aim of the surveys has been to examine the behaviour and attitudes of young people towards a range of different topics including: school, nutrition, general health, sports, leisure activities, smoking, alcohol, solvents, drugs, policing, anti-social behaviour, personal safety, sexual experience and knowledge, relationships, the environment, road safety and travelling to school.
  

Research Approach

• This report provides an analysis of the alcohol and drugs sections of the 2000 and 2003 editions of the YPBAS (including multivariate analyses). It focuses on a review of the 2003 data as well as a comparative analysis of data from both surveys.
  

Main Findings

• In 2003, 23% of all pupils had used drugs/solvents, with 60% having used alcohol. Compared with 2000, this represents a statistically significant decrease in the use of illegal drugs, and a statistically significant increase in the use of alcohol.
• The use of cannabis was recorded at 18% in 2003, a significant increase from the 2000 figure of 15%.
• In relation to being offered illegal drugs, the 2003 survey found that more than one third of respondents (35%) had been offered drugs or solvents, a statistically significant increase on the figure of 30% recorded in 2000.
• The 2003 survey shows a significant reduction in the proportion of young people saying that they are current users of drugs/solvents (7.6% compared with 9.7%). Comparisons between the two surveys also show a reduction in the numbers using cannabis (9.7% to 9.2%) and ecstasy (1.7% to 1.1%). No comparative data was available to compare the current use of alcohol or solvents.
• A comparison of the 2000 and 2003 data shows a significant increase in the mean age at which young people first started using drugs (including solvents), from 12.29 years to 12.50 years.
• Young people in 2003 were found to be significantly older when they first started using alcohol (11.9 years compared to 11.72 years in 2000).
• 74% of the 2003 sample reported knowing 'a lot' or 'quite a bit' about the effects and risks relating to drugs, compared to 70% of the 2000 sample.
• 82% of the 2003 sample had received education on drugs and/or alcohol at school compared to 74% of the 2000 sample.
• 78% of the 2003 sample said that they knew 'a lot' or 'quite a bit' about the effects and risks of alcohol consumption.
• 65% of young people in the 2003 survey said they knew 'quite a lot' or 'a lot' about the effects/risks of taking solvents.
• Looking at the 2003 survey, it was found that 'solvent only' users of drugs tend to resemble the general population of non-users (as opposed to other groups of drug-users), in terms of their characteristics. The only characteristic that was different from the general population was that solvent-users were more likely to be male.
• Cannabis-only users, soft-drug users, and hard-drug users were more likely to older.
• Generally, the pattern that could be established for users in comparison to non-users is that they are older, male, in secondary schools, eligible for free school meals, and not eligible for school transport support.
• The experience of school-based drug education was found to lower the likelihood of experimentation with combinations of 'soft' drugs and 'hard' drugs; however, drug education in youth club-type and other venues appeared to be associated with increased likelihood of drug use, particularly for users of 'hard' drugs.
• Amongst those who have been offered drugs, 'solvent only' users were found to be significantly younger than the general population of non-users.
• Again, 'cannabis-only' and 'soft-drug' users within the group who have access to drugs tend to be older and male, and not eligible for free transport.
• However, within the group who have been offered drugs, the effect of eligibility for free school meals disappeared, and the effect of attending a secondary school was weaker, indicating that it may be the relatively disadvantaged who are most 'at risk' through exposure to drugs.
• Analysing the 2000 and 2003 survey together, the effect of a pupil's education and library board on drug use is stronger than its effect for 2003 only. As having free school transport is more a characteristic of non-users, it may be that the effect of education and library board reflects the general rural/urban locations of the boards.
• Merging the datasets from both YPBAS continues to show a decline in the use of solvents, however, it appears that experimentation with cannabis and 'hard' drugs appears to have risen since 2000. Frequent drug use levels seem to have remained stable.
• The paradoxical mixed effects of drug education also remain when both datasets are analysed together, however, the effect of drug education appears to have a stronger link with reduced drug use in 2003 compared to 2000.