In New Zealand, a third of people who have ever tried alcohol report having had their first drink when they were 14-years-old or younger. It is, therefore, important to understand more about the use of alcohol among this age group. The Health Promotion Agency’s Youth Insights Survey (YIS) monitors Year 10 students’ behaviours, attitudes, and knowledge on a range of health-related topics, including their use of alcohol.
Methodology
Participants in the 2012 YIS were asked a series of questions about their consumption of alcohol and their estimates of the consumption of alcohol by their peers. Responses were examined by ethnicity (Māori, Pacific peoples, Asian, and NZ European/Other) and gender. In addition, to better understand the links between different alcohol use behaviours, risky drinking and estimates of peer consumption were examined by frequency of alcohol consumption and whether their parents knew they were drinking. Statistically significant (p<.05) differences between groups are reported.
Key Results
Four in 10 Year 10 students had consumed alcohol at least once in the past month, while nearly one in 10 (8%) had consumed alcohol at least once a week in the past month.
• Of those who had ever consumed alcohol, six in 10 had done so on some or all occasions without their parents or caregivers knowing about it.
• Three in 10 had engaged in risky drinking at least once in their lives, while just under two in 10 (17%) had done so in the past month.
• Māori were more likely than non-Māori to have consumed alcohol in the past month and to have ever engaged in risky drinking.
• Those who had ever engaged in risky drinking were likely to drink alcohol more frequently and without parental knowledge compared with those who had never engaged in risky drinking.
• Year 10 students estimated that around four in 10 of their peers get drunk regularly.
• Those with higher estimates of how many of their peers get drunk regularly were those who had consumed alcohol more frequently themselves in the past month, consumed alcohol without parental knowledge, and engaged in risky drinking.