UNDERAGE DRINKING IS RARELY BLACK

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UNDERAGE DRINKING IS RARELY BLACK WHITE

• MEAS CONFERENCE, 14th OCTOBER 2004

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UNDERAGE DRINKING

• Widely reported phenomenon.
• Focus on effect not causes.
• Prior research tends to be academic.
• Ireland pretty much tops the league table (ESPAD
  etc).
• MEAS keen to understand and address the issue.
• Behaviour Attitudes appointed to manage a
  programme of research in 2003.
• If we don't understand the problem we can't
  address it.

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RESEARCH ELEMENTS
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QUALITATIVE IN DETAIL

• Nine focus groups with children and teens (1 to
  2 hours duration).
• Three aged 10 11, three aged 13 14, three aged
  16 17.
• Broad social class range.
• Single sex.
• Recruited as friendship pairs.
• Some eldest child, some second/third child.
• Parental consent in writing.
• Research did not prompt/introduce inappropriate
  ideas.

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QUALITATIVE IN DETAIL

• Three focus groups with mothers.
• Some 'first timers', others not.
• All drink alcohol themselves.
• Some mothers of boys, other mothers of girls.
• 2 hours in length.
• Fieldwork September 2003 3 moderators (mixed
  sex, age).

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QUANTITATIVE IN DETAIL

• 400 interviews with a nationally representative,
  quota sample of 12-17 year olds.
• Equal numbers at each age.
• Matching census vis-à-vis sex, age, region and
  area.
• Socio-economic classification mirroring the
  national population structure.
• Prior written parental consent, but completed
  with interviewer and with guarantee of
  confidentiality.
• Low refusal rate.

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STRUCTURE

• Core themes from the study
• Not black white
• Consumption level
• Consent
• Drunkenness
• Access
• Domestic drinking
• Honesty
• Parent-child relationship
• Cultural context
• Rule setting
• Attitude context
• Affluence privilege
• Popular culture, the media alcohol

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CORE THEMES FROM THE RESEARCH

• Widespread yes
• Worse now? maybe
• More options, more money, more freedom
• Media exposure
• Access
• Parenting styles and domestic alcohol use
• Permitted access but not a substitute for
  experimentation
• From rules to trust
• Dishonesty and boundary testing
• Parental involvement
• Lowest common denominator behaviour

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UNDERAGE DRINKING IS RARELY BLACK WHITE

• Ambiguities.
• Often 'allowed' from 15-16 not illicit.
• Parents prefer to know (rather than 'how it
  was').
• Don't be dictatorial there are worse things.
• What is 'the right thing to do'?
• Children 'push out the boundaries'
• Desire for open dialogue.
• The law is unrealistic need for pragmatism.
• Need for identity cards and policing of licensing
  laws.

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CONSUMPTION LEVELS

• For one in five 12-17s alcohol is normal in their
  peer group.
• 43 of 16/17s drink regularly
• But only 5 of 12/13s

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ALCOHOL PREVALENCE IN PEER GROUP
14-15
All 12-17s
12-13
16-17
Dublin
Rest Leins.
Mun-ster
Conn/ Ulster
Don't know Not any Very few Some, below
half Most have tried Most do regularly
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SERIOUSNESS OF DRINKING ALCOHOL FOR OWN AGE
14-15
All 12-17s
12-13
16-17
Dublin
Rest Leins.
Mun-ster
Conn/ Ulster
Don't know Doesn't bother me Not so bad.
Matter of personal choice Quite bad, people my
age should avoid Very bad, people my age
should avoid
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ALCOHOL EXPERIENCE X DEMOGRAPHICS
EVER TRIED TASTED ONLY
All 12-17s Boys Girls 12-13 14-15 16-17 ABC1 C2
DE F Dublin R.Leins Munster Conn/Ulster Urban Ru
ral
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CLAIMED AGE FIRST DRUNK ALCOHOL(Base All who
have experienced alcohol (64))
Average 13.2 Median 13.1
9 or under 4
Age
15
CLAIMED FREQUENCY OF DRINKING NOWADAYS(Base ALL
WITH EXPERIENCE OF ALCOHOL 64)
Weekly Fortnightly Monthly Every 1-2
months Every 3 months Less often Never Re
fused/not stated
(ie just under once a month)
MONTHLY AVERAGE 0.93
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CLAIMED FREQUENCY OF DRINKING X DEMOGRAPHICS
(Base All 12-17s)
AGE
REGION
All 12-17s
12-13 14-15 16-17
Dublin
Rest Leins.
Mun-ster
Conn/ Ulster
Weekly Fort-nightly Monthly Every 1-2
months Every 2-3 months Less often Never
Monthly or more Ever at all nowadays
20 4 8 45 28 23 14 18 42 16 38 70 53 47 36 32
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PARENTAL CONSENT

• The extent to which young people claim to have
  parental consent for (some of) their drinking is
  striking.
• 14 of all 12 and 13 year olds have drunk (at
  some stage) with parental consent (or a third of
  those who drink at this age).
• 28 of all 14 and 15 year olds have drunk (at
  some stage) with parental consent (or 43 of
  those who drink at this age).
• 54 of all 16 and 17 year olds have drunk (at
  some stage) with parental consent (or 63 of
  those who drink at this age).
• Widespread ambiguity lowest common denominator.
• Parents misgivings about other parents
  standards are very striking. A variety of
  verbatim quotations illustrate the extent and
  complexity of issues involved.

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PARENTAL CONSENT

• I went to a party with her and the mother asked
  me can I check whether shes allowed drink
  tonight or not? If I dont ask, shell tell me
  she can. Of course, I didnt know what to say.
  Shes only 16 and its against the law. I let
  her stay at the party anyway, but I couldnt stop
  thinking about it.
• (Middle Class, South Dublin, Mother)
• "I rung the others' parents after he came home
  drunk and they said 'He wasn't in our house',
  'Our sons weren't drinking', when I know he was
  drinking their (i.e. provided by other boys
  parents) alcohol. I was made to feel like the
  guilty one.
• (Mother of 16-year-old boy, North Dublin)
• I dont think you should treat them as your
  friends, or as equals. They are children and if
  you cant assert your authority you have no
  control over them. My rules are strict and they
  must be in at certain times, and thats earlier
  than their friends. I feel if I am not strict
  and it would be easier not to be that I cant
  reassure myself I am doing the right thingthere
  is too much relaxation of the standards set in
  the past.
• (Working class mother of 4, North Dublin)

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DRUNKENESS

• 20 of 12 to 17s have been drunk
• Or 31 of the 12 to 17s who have ever drunk
  alcohol.
• More common for boys, in Dublin and Leinster, in
  urban areas.
• 50 of drinking 16 17 year olds have been
  drunk.
• 10 of underage drinkers get drunk at least
  occasionally (or 6 of all 12-17s).

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ACCESS TO ALCOHOL
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LIKELIHOOD OF DRINKING IN NEXT 2 MONTHS(Base
all 12-17s)
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EASE OF GETTING KEY SOURCES OF ALCOHOL X
NARROW AGE BANDS
Quite easy to get alcohol
Very easy to get alcohol
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MOST LIKELY SOURCES OF ALCOHOL
Avg No of mentions 2.41 2.42 2.36 1.78 2.30 3.02 2
.30 2.41 2.63
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PARENTAL DRINKING

• Just 1 in 12 live in a home where neither parent
  drinks.
• Most have 2 drinking parents.
• 58 live in a home where one/both parents drinks
  at home.
• Direct relationship between parents and
  children's consumption.
• Clearly some may have 'sanction' however.

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DRINKING AT HOME BY PARENTS
All 12-17s
SEX
AGE
REGION
Boys Girls (202) (198)
12-13 14-15 16-17 (123) (137) (140)
Dublin (103)
Rest Leins. (105)
Mun-ster (112)
Conn/ Ulster (80)
Father only Mother only Both Neither
Refused
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DRINKING AT HOME BY PARENTS
All 12-17s
CHILD'S DRINKING
Monthly (80)
Less Often (90)
Never (222)
(400)
Father only Mother only Both Neither
Refused
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HONESTY

• Many children are dishonest about alcohol
  drinking.
• Often their parents were too.

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YOUNG PEOPLE'S HONESTY WITH PARENTS(Base All
12-17s)
Honesty index -44 -70
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PARENT/ CHILD RELATIONSHIP

• Adolescence more than ever 'an awkward age'.
• Enter into 'limbo' quicker.
• Boys retain sport for longer.
• Children hugely confident more opportunity.
• Huge worries for parents
• Bad company.
• Dieting, anorexia, etc.
• 'Crossing the line'.

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PARENT/ CHILD RELATIONSHIP

• There is a local curfew now to stop trouble.
  If theyre caught once they get a warning, the
  second time theyre driven home and the third
  time they have to get their parents to pick them
  up from the Garda station. They think nothing of
  it, and have no shame at being driven home in
  our day if a Garda looked at you, youd run
  away.
• (Middle class suburb, Rathfarnham, County Dublin)
• Parents want open relationship.
• But it is much harder to police transgressions.

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CULTURAL CONTEXT

• Parents behaviour was similar.
• Alcohol use (and deception) a cultural
  phenomenon.
• Inherited, repeated.
• Kids think it is worse now however.

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PREVALENCE OF UNDERAGE DRINKING VERSUS WHEN
PARENTS WERE YOUNG
CHILD'S DRINKING
AGE
All 12-17s
Monthly (20)
Less Often (23)
Don't Drink (56)
14-15
12-13
16-17
Much more common now A little more common
now About the same A little less now Much less
now Don't Know
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RULE SETTING

• Parents want to 'be friends' with kids.
• Transit from authoritative to permissive style.
• Common view in home, controlled exposure is
  'good'.
• "Look at the French".
• Variability "Sweet 16 parties", Junior cup
  matches, family dinners, holidays.
• Banning ostrich principle.
• Independent stance futile.

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WHO HAS DISCUSSED ALCOHOL WITH YOU?(Base All
12-17s)
Invited speakers to school (Doctors/ Gardaí)
Older siblings
Mother
Father
Teachers
Don't know Have not discussed Tried to discuss,
not very clear Have talked directly to me
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PERCEIVED ATTITUDES OF PARENTS/TEACHERS TO
UNDERAGE DRINKING
TEACHERS
PARENTS
VERY OPPOSED
VERY OPPOSED
Boys Girls 12-13 14-15 16-17 ABC1 C2DE F Dublin
R.Leins Munster Conn/Uls Urban Rural
52 61 72 62 38 56 58 52 47 60 57 64 57 56
Boys Girls 12-13 14-15 16-17 ABC1 C2DE F Dublin
R.Leins Munster Conn/Uls Urban Rural
58 64 76 69 39 59 59 74 55 56 59 76 59 64
Very much opposed Quite opposed Say
they are opposed, not sure believe them Not very
opposed Not at all opposed Don't know
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PARENTS VIEW OF UNDER 18 ALCOHOL DRINKING X
NARROW AGE BANDS
PARENTS VIEW OF UNDER 18 ALCOHOL DRINKING X
NARROW AGE BANDS
AGE
TOTAL
DRINK ALCOHOL
12 13 14 15 16 17
Mon- thly
Less often
Don't drink
I am not to drink alcohol under any
circumstances before I am 18 I am
occasionally allowed to have a drink at home with
my parents permission I am allowed to have a
drink in or out of home with my parents
permission I don't know what my parents think
about alcohol drinking Don't Know/Not stated
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ATTITUDE CONTEXT

• Underage drinking not always deceitful may be
  allowed.
• Variability from family to family is undermining.
• Many regular underage drinkers feel they should
  be allowed their parents are.
• 40 of underage drinkers say parental drinking
  facilitates nicking alcohol (versus 19 for all
  12-17s).
• Drinking underage boosts confidence.

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AFFLUENCE

• 90 of fathers and half of mothers work (61 of
  16 and 17 year olds' mothers).
• Parents spoil their kids.
• No relationship between maternal employment and
  underage drinking.
• 43 of 16 17 year olds work part time.
• Level of working highest among underage drinkers.

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PART TIME WORKING AND INCOME
Normally work
Work in school hols.
Avg hrs week (current/last job)
Avg Earning/wk (current/last job)
/hour
Current Job
All 12-17s Boys Girls 12-13 14-15 16-17 Dublin
R. Leinster Munster Conn/Ulster Urban Rural Drin
k Monthly Drink Less Dont Drink
21 20 22 2 17 41 23 24 16 21 20 22 51 24 9
34 33 34 4 28 65 29 45 30 29 31 37 70 47 16
18 21 15 15 19 18 15 22 19 13 17 19 19 19 1
5
94 103 85 56 75 104 100 103 94 64 98 89 114
90 66
5.22 4.91 5.67 3.73 3.95 5.37 6.67 4.68 5.05
4.92 5.76 4.68 6.00 4.74 4.40
Small Base Sizes
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RECEIPT OF POCKET MONEY
All 12-17s
Drink Monthly
Drink Less Often
Don't Drink
14-15
12-13
16-17
Boys Girls
No Don't know Up to 10 11-20 Over 20
Average (excl. none) 16.30 16.50 16.10 12.80 15.5
0 21.30 23.70 18.90 13.40 Average (incl.
none) 11.90 12.38 11.43 10.50 11.47 13.63 14.00 1
4.00 10.50
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WEEKLY INCOME EXPENDITURE SUMMARIES
Dividing total of pocket money/earnings received
by all in each cell (i.e. amount of money remains
same, but is spread further)
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POPULAR CULTURE, MEDIA ALCOHOL

• Kids watch TV on their own.
• Most watch adult programmes.
• Most watch satellite/niche programming.
• Immersion in lives of celebrities.
• Alcohol central to popular culture.
• Much more conscious of than advertising.

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TV IN OWN ROOM OR NOT?
AGE
DRINKING
Drink Less often
Dont drink
Drink Monthly
All 12-17s
14-15
12-13
16-17
IN ROOM
Yes No
ABC1 C2DE F Dublin R. Leinster Munster Conn/Ulste
r Urban Rural
57 62 36 66 61 54 45 61 50