17 Is the New 15: Changing Alcohol Consumption among Swedish Youth

Abstract

To examine and compare trends in drinking prevalence in nationally representative samples of Swedish 9th and 11th grade students between 2000 and 2018. A further aim is to compare drinking behaviours in the two age groups during years with similar drinking prevalence. Data were drawn from annual surveys of a nationally representative sample of students in year 9 (15–16 years old) and year 11 (17–18 years old). The data covered 19 years for year 9 and 16 years for year 11. Two reference years where the prevalence of drinking was similar were extracted for further comparison, 2018 for year 11 (n = 4878) and 2005 for year 9 (n = 5423). The reference years were compared with regard to the volume of drinking, heavy episodic drinking, having had an accident and quarrelling while drunk. The prevalence of drinking declined in both age groups during the study period. The rate of decline was somewhat higher among year 9 students. In 2018, the prevalence of drinking was the same for year 11 students as it was for year 9 students in 2005. The volume of drinking was lower among year 11 students in 2018 than year 9 students in 2005. No differences were observed for heavy episodic drinking. The decline in drinking has caused a displacement of consumption so that today’s 17–18-year-olds have a similar drinking behaviour to what 15–16-year-olds had in 2005.

Understanding youth drinking decline: Similarity and change in the function and social meaning of alcohol use (and non‐use) in adolescent cohorts 20 years apart

“…Many of our findings align with previous research aimed at understanding the decline in youth drinking. For example, quantitative studies have demonstrated that alcohol use is starting later in more recent cohorts [46‐48], and our findings indicate that delayed uptake has occurred in NZ as well as the US, Australia and Sweden. Our findings are also consistent with previous qualitative studies that have highlighted increasing awareness of the health risks of drinking, and the rise of ‘healthism’ in which health is positioned as a personal responsibility and a moral imperative [28,32].…”

“…In addition, some of the former functions of drinking (e.g., bonding with friends, meeting new people) are now being fulfilled online, thanks to the affordances of new communication technologies, coupled with the imperatives of neoliberalism (e.g., personal responsibility for one's future and avoidance of health risks). What remains unclear is whether the observed changes in priorities and practices of 14-17 year olds over the past 20 years reflect a unique generation who will maintain 'dry' throughout the life course, or merely a generation that is delaying alcohol use and will 'catch up' with previous generations by early adulthood [48,57,58]. New Zealand evidence suggests that binge drinking remains highly prevalent in early adulthood [59] and further research is needed to understand this transition.…”

Mind the gap! Gender differences in alcohol consumption among Swedish ninth graders 1989–2021

“…Over the past two decades, marked changes in youth drinking have also been observed and reported [26–28]. During this period, youth drinking has declined in several countries across the globe [29–31], in Sweden, the average consumption among ninth graders has more than halved since 2000 [32].…”

Psychosocial correlates of drinking transitions: A longitudinal study among adolescents in Sweden

“…However, since the new millennium adolescent drinking has undergone a dramatic decline in many European and English-speaking countries [7][8][9]. The reduced drinking is reflected in various measures of consumption, including age of initiation [10][11][12]. Sweden is among the countries that have experienced the largest declines [6].…”