Young adults and teenagers may not be so crazy about drinking anymore, according to a new study done by the Adult Drinking Habits in Great Britain. The Telegraph reports that the proportion of people aged 16 to 24 who say they do not drink alcohol at all has increased by 40 percent since the last survey of this kind was conducted in 2005.
However, this study’s survey may not accurately reflect the UK’s young adult population.
“It’s far too early to know if this is the beginning of a significant trend or whether it’s a blip,” says Dr. Winstock, developer of the Drinks Meter app. He also points out the survey’s problematic sampling: “They are not going to get the kids who are really going off the rails, the ‘non conformists’, shall we say—the ones going to a park with a big bottle of cider on week nights.”
Meanwhile, other recent reports have conflictingly shown an increase in alcohol-related liver disease and diabetes, as well as a higher number of young people visiting the Accidents and Emergency ward of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.
It may be true, though, that people in their teens and early 20s are more conservative when it comes to drinking. In fact, further research carried out by the National Children’s Bureau showed that schoolchildren support raising the legal age limits for drinking and smoking.
Only time will tell if, indeed, young people are adopting a more conservative attitude toward drinking. [Telegraph] [Photo: Flickr.com/littlesourire]