School children in England are becoming less tolerant of drinking among their peers, while fewer are drinking, smoking or taking drugs; new figures suggest from The NHS Information Centre.

Just under a third (32 per cent) of 11 to 15-year-old pupils surveyed in 2010 said it was okay for someone their own age to drink alcohol once a week, compared to nearly half (46 per cent) of pupils surveyed in 2003; the first year this question was asked.

Meanwhile around one in 10 (11 per cent) thought it was okay to get drunk once a week, compared to one in five (20 per cent) in 2003.

The findings are from; Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2010, which surveyed 7,300 pupils in September to December 2010 and shows a continuing decline in all three behaviours.

The 2010 survey focused on drinking and smoking and for the first time included responses to a new question about why pupils thought their peers drink. Pupils could select multiple answers and the most popular reasons given for peers drinking overall were:

• To look cool in front of friends (76 per cent)
• Peer pressure from friends (62 per cent)
• To be more sociable with friends (65 per cent)
• For the buzz (60 per cent)

However there was a clear contrast in responses between pupils who drink and those who do not. The most popular reasons pupils thought their peers drank, among those who had drunk alcohol in the last week, were “for the rush or buzz” or “to be more sociable”. However non-drinkers thought their peers drank alcohol “to look cool in front of friends” or “because of pressure from their friends”.

The survey results also suggest an estimated six percentage point fall between 2009 and 2010 in the percentage of pupils who had tried alcohol; from 51 to 45 per cent. This continues the downward trend since 2003, when 61 per cent of pupils had drunk alcohol (similar to 2001 and 2002). However, the 2010 drop represents a greater fall than expected and future years' data is needed to confirm if this is a start of a new trend.

The 2010 survey also shows:

• 27 per cent of pupils had smoked at least once, compared to 44 per cent in 2001
• 18 per cent of pupils had reported having ever taken drugs, compared to 29 per cent in 2001
• Smoking, drinking alcohol and drug use are strongly associated with each other. Pupils who partake in one of these behaviours are more likely to partake in another.

Chief executive of The NHS Information Centre Tim Straughan said: “Our figures point to an increasingly intolerant attitude among young people in today's society when it comes to the use of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs.

“As well as a reduction in the percentage who say they partake in these behaviours; a shrinking number think that drinking and drunkenness is acceptable among their peers.”

The report is at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/sdd10fullreport

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care (The NHS IC) is England's authoritative, central, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a wide range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researcher, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS IC also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
2. The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) carried out the survey on behalf of The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. This is the most recent survey in a series that began in 1982. Each survey since 1998 has included a core set of questions on smoking, drinking and drug use and, since 2000, the remainder of the questionnaire has focused in alternate years on smoking and drinking or on drug taking. The emphasis of the 2010 survey is on smoking and drinking.
3. The survey report presents information on the percentage of pupils who have ever smoked, tried alcohol or taken drugs. The report also explores the attitudes and beliefs of school children towards drinking and smoking and from where and from whom children obtain cigarettes and alcohol. Relationships between smoking, drinking and drug use are explored along with the links between smoking, drinking, and drug use with other factors such as age, gender, ethnicity and previous truancy or exclusion.
4. Pupils are asked if they have ever smoked a cigarette or had a puff on a cigarette. Regular smoking is defined as smoking at least one cigarette a week. Pupils were asked if they had ever had a proper alcoholic drink, not just a sip. Regular drinking is defined as drinking alcohol at least once a week. Drug use includes any illegal drug or volatile substance. Frequent drug use is defined as taking drugs at least once a month.
5. Following consultation with survey users, the design of the sample was changed in 2010. The change in sampling methodology was designed to produce results comparable with previous years' surveys. In 2010, some key survey estimates, while continuing established trends, showed greater than expected change from 2009 (for example, estimates of the prevalence of drinking alcohol and the use of some types of drug). Detailed analysis was undertaken to assess whether these were due in part or whole to the change in sampling methodology, and did not find any evidence to suggest that they were.
6. For media enquires please call 0845 257 6990 or contact mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk