44 per cent of 11-15 year olds have ever had an alcoholic drink, survey shows

2 Nov 2017 01:58 PM

44 per cent of 11 to 15-year-old pupils have ever had an alcoholic drink, 19 per cent have ever smoked cigarettes and 24 per cent have ever taken drugs, latest estimates for 2016 published today show.

NHS Digital's Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People, England: 2016 report gathers anonymous data from 11 to 15-year-olds, which is then used by the government to monitor trends and gain a better understanding of their impact. 

In a survey conducted by Ipsos Mori, 12,051 students from 177 schools across England were asked questions under exam conditions about their lifestyles, including their experience of smoking, drinking and drug use, their consumption of cigarettes and alcohol over the previous week and their awareness and availability of specific named drugs.

Smoking estimates
Almost one in five pupils had ever smoked cigarettes - similar to 2014, but a significant fall from 1996 when 49 per cent of pupils had ever smoked.

The report shows:

E-Cigarette Estimates

Click here for full press release