University students clean up their act as 71pc say they have not tried drugs

STUDENTS are no longer dabbling in drugs at university because they are now “more hardworking” and “less hedonistic”, a study has found.

Almost three quarters of undergraduates (71 per cent) have not taken illegal drugs during their time at university, according to a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) and the University of Buckingham.

Researchers analysed survey responses from more than 1,000 students who were asked about their drug habits and attitudes towards substance abuse. More than four fifths (88 per cent) said drug usage caused problems “for the mental health of the user”, with 68 per cent saying it caused problems for society by “contributing to criminality”.

“This survey provides an important corrective to some of the wilder ideas about today’s students,” said Nick Hillman, the director of Hepi. “They are more hardworking and less hedonistic than is often supposed.” Male students

are more likely to take drugs, with three quarters (74 per cent) of female students saying they had not taken illegal drugs compared with two thirds (68 per cent) of their male peers. More than half said their university did not do enough to deter drug use, with 62 per cent saying they wanted their institution to take a “stronger line” on drug dealers, and the same proportion would like there to be a tougher stance on students who repeatedly use drugs.

Earlier this year, the National Union of Students (NUS) said universities should stop reporting student drug users to the police. Punishing culprits of drug use is “archaic and harmful”, the NUS said, adding that it may be unfair to “poorer students” and those from “a liberation background” – defined by the NUS as people who are black, disabled, transgender, gay, bisexual or female.

In addition to taking less drugs, young people are also drinking less alcohol and having less sex, separate studies have suggested.

A study last year by Eventbrite showed that only one in 10 regarded getting drunk as “cool”, with four in 10 finding it embarrassing, and having a negative view of someone who was drunk. Another piece of research published last month found that millennials were waiting longer to have sex, with one in eight still virgins at 26 years old.