That’s certainly the case in the UK, where young people have cut their alcohol consumption in half, according to a story yesterday (10/9) in The New York Times. It’s not just the UK, the Times noted, but across Europe.
A report from the University of Sheffield, found young people in England are drinking less. Multiple surveys shows a consistent pattern over 10-15 years of reduced participation in drinking, reduced consumption levels among drinkers, reduced prevalence of drunkenness and less positive attitudes towards alcohol.
Similar changes are seen across the UK, Europe, North America and Australasia, the Sheffield report notes, adding: “The downward trends are also not limited to alcohol. Declines are also seen in smoking and illicit drug use among young people.”
The Sheffield report also notes that the proportion of 8-12 year-olds who have ever had an alcoholic drink fell to 4% in 2016 from 25% in 2002, with a concurrent fall among 11-15 year-olds to 38% in 2014, when the last comparable data were collected, from 61% in 2003.
Among 16-17 year-olds, the proportion who reported drinking nowadays fell from 88% in 2001 to 65% in 2016 and the decline over the same time period for 16-24 year-olds was from 90% to 78%.
Those young people who do drink are starting to do so at a later age. Among 11-15 year-old drinkers, the mean age at first drink increased from 11.4 in 2004 to 12.6 in 2014, while for 16-17 year-old drinkers it increased from 13.6 in 2001 to 14.8 in 2016.
At least in the U.S., beer has generally been the “entry drink” for young people. So if they are drinking less, it makes sense beer would be hurt the most.