Young people are shunning alcohol

A large proportion of youngsters are shunning alcohol completely, a new study suggests.

The new research, published in the journal BMC Public Health, found that more than a quarter of people aged 16 to 24 classed themselves as “non drinkers”.

Researchers from University College London said that the norms around alcohol drinking appeared to be changing.

They studied data from the annual Health Survey for England and found that the proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds who do not drink alcohol has increased from 18 per cent in 2005 to 29 per cent in 2015.

Meanwhile the proportion of “lifetime abstainers” rose from 9 per cent in 2005 to 17 per cent a decade later.

The study also appeared to show that fewer youngsters were drinking harmful amounts.

“Increases in non-drinking among young people were found across a broad range of groups, including those living in northern or southern regions, among the white population, those in full-time education, in employment and across all social classes and healthier groups,” Dr Linda Ng Fat, lead author of the study.