1 in 5 teenagers are teetotal ... and say their parents are drinking too much
TEENAGERS are shunning alcohol – leaving their parents to take over as Britain’s problem drinkers.
A ‘substantial cultural shift’ means young adults no longer find it socially important to drink.
One in five are teetotal, according to research published by the Demos thinktank last night. Two in five believe drinking is more important to their parents’ lives than to their own.
It is the latest evidence that the middleaged are now drinking more frequently than those in the 16 to 24 age group.
Doctors fear older generations are risking their health by drinking on a daily basis at home – instead of socially at weekends.
Jonathan Birdwell of Demos said the findings would take many by surprise and were positive for young people.
He added however: ‘ We cannot ignore the fact that there is still a relatively significant minority of young people indulging in hazardous binge drinking – which is damaging to their health, their career prospects and to society as a whole.
‘It is important for us now to build on these insights and determine the best means of directing limited public funds to tackle this pernicious issue at the root cause.’
The rising price of alcohol and a clampdown on underage drinking were given as reasons behind the cultural shift. Fiftyfive per cent of the 1,000 youngsters polled by YouGov said they were less able to afford alcohol than in the past; 47 per cent said they were more likely to be challenged about their age.
The report confirms figures published earlier this year by the Office for National Statistics, which showed a marked decline in youth drinking over the past decade.
It found that 18 per cent of under-25s binge- drink, down from 29 per cent a decade ago.
Many commentators speculated that this was due to an increase in immigration among non- drinking groups, particularly Muslims. The analysis by Demos suggests migration would account for only 31 per cent of the rise in the number of young teetotallers.
The findings build on a report by the charity Drinkaware, published in May, which found that 32 per cent of those aged between 45 and 64 regularly drink more than recommended weekly limits. By comparison, just 19 per cent of those aged between 18 and 24 breach the guidelines.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development revealed earlier this year that middle-class, middleaged British women head a global league table for alcohol abuse. Rosanna O’Connor of Public Health England said: ‘The decline in harmful drinking in under-18s is promising as is young people’s growing awareness of the harms of frequent drinking, which we know continues to be a serious issue in adults.’
But Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, a liver disease specialist, cautioned: ‘The figures on falling consumption in young people are based on very small numbers. Emergency departments under siege in our hospitals at nights and weekends will not recognise the rosy picture Demos is trying to paint.’