Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People (1988+)

Began in 1982, under the name Smoking among Secondary Schoolchildren. The series initially aimed to provide national estimates of the proportion of secondary schoolchildren aged 11-15 who smoked, and to describe their smoking behavior. Similar surveys were carried out every 2 years until 1998 to monitor trends in the prevalence of cigarette smoking. The survey then moved to an annual cycle, and questions on alcohol consumption and drug use were included. The name of the series was changed to Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young Teenagers to reflect this widened focus. Since 1998, surveys have been carried out annually, with a core section of questions included on smoking status and number of cigarettes smoked in the last week; drinking status and amount of alcohol drunk in the last week; and awareness and use of drugs. For the 2000 survey, the series title again changed, to Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People. The Department of Health commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to conduct the 2000 survey in England, and an equivalent survey was also conducted in Scotland. In alternate survey years, beyond the core questions, the remainder of the questionnaire focuses on either smoking and drinking or on drug taking. The 2001 and 2003 surveys focused mainly on drugs, and the 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006 surveys focused mainly on smoking and drinking. It should be noted that the UK Data Archive (UKDA) only holds the survey from 1988 onwards. In some years, the surveys have been carried out in Scotland and Wales, as well as England, to provide separate national estimates for these countries. In 2002, a separate Scottish series, the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey was established to replace the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People series there, and to provide information in support of Scotland's new drugs strategy. To obtain a free account please register with the UKDA.