Department of the Environment,
Transport and the Regions
10. Tackling Youth Drug Misuse
There are a number of national baselines on reported usage among children and young people, many of which include attitudinal data. Two principal surveys are highlighted below. The ONS survey on behalf of Department of Health is a series of biennial surveys of secondary school children aged 11-15 on smoking, drinking and drugs. The most recently published report details findings of the 1998 survey. This covers:An additional source are the surveys of secondary school children, published by the Schools Health Education Unit of Exeter University. The data published are an aggregate of survey data collected by local authorities. These local surveys again employ an in-school self-completion methodology, among children aged 12-15. The survey covers:
- Awareness of drugs
- Whether children had been offered drugs
- Reported usage
- Attitudes to drug use
- Health Education in School re: drugs
The table below, taken from the Schools Health Education Unit ‘Young People and Illegal Drugs into 2000’ compares data from the ONS and SHEU studies. While there are some differences between the two studies, they both estimate that around one in ten children aged 11-15/12-15 say they have taken illegal drugs in the last year, rising to around one in three 15 year olds.
- Awareness of drugs
- Whether children had been offered drugs
- Reported usage
- Which drugs are thought to be unsafe
- Concern about drugs
1998 Drug Data
Age
ONS[7]
SHEU
%
%
Ever offered
All drugs
11-15
34
n/a
12-15
n/a
25
Cannabis
11-15
26
n/a
12-15
n/a
20
Ever taken
All drugs
11-15
13
n/a
12-15
n/a
16
11
1
n/a
12-13
n/a
6
15
33
n/a
14-15
0
25
Taken in past year
All drugs
11-15
11
n/a
12-15
n/a
12
Data from the 1998 British Crime Survey shows how drug use increases among older teenagers and those in their early twenties.
Drug Use by young people, ever, and last year
16-19
20-24
Base: All young people interviewed
(%)
(%)
Ever
49
55
Last year
31
28
Source: British Crime Survey 1998
The published 1999 SHEU survey data also includes the views of 9-11 year olds on whom children would like to talk to about drugs. Parents are mentioned most frequently (more than two in three 9-11 year olds), while teachers are children’s second most popular choice for getting information (around one in three).
In 1997, a major study was carried out by MORI on behalf of the Department of Health on the effectiveness of professional services for young (aged 12-24) drug users. The qualitative study included depth interviews and group discussions among the following groups:Applicant authorities may have quantitative survey data among the local community as a whole to gauge how much of a problem drug use is perceived to be and one authority has provided data on residents’ awareness of drug advice services. Councils may also have carried out quantitative survey research among young people and/or school-children to gauge usage and attitudes, perhaps as part of the SHEU study. Research among other stakeholder groups such as health professionals, schools, voluntary groups and drug users would more likely take the form of small-scale qualitative research.
- Current drug service users;
- Former drugs service users;
- Non-service users;
- Young people who do not use drugs;
- Staff at special services for young drug users;
- Youth work professionals.
[7] The ONS surveys sampled young people in year groups 7-11 (age range 11-15). SHEU survey data were derived from year groups 8 and 10 only (ages 12-13 and 14-15).
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Published 31 January 2001
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