03.12.2024 - Young people are consuming less alcohol overall, but spirits remain the most popular choice for those who do drink. While there are frequent reports about illegal alcohol deliveries and social media accounts facilitating alcohol sales, young people most often obtain alcohol from older friends, siblings, or partners. This is revealed in CAN's national school survey, presented yesterday.
Although alcohol consumption among young people continues to decline, more than one-third of ninth graders and seven out of ten second-year high school students reported drinking alcohol in the past year.
"Today's young people are making history. Among ninth graders, the number of drinkers is almost half what it was in 2010. Even among high school students, we see a significant decline over time. Many young people drink because they believe everyone else is doing it, but this survey clearly shows that is not the case," said Mojtaba Ghodsi, CEO of IQ.
When it comes to beverage preferences, school students differ significantly from the general population. Among adults, wine and beer dominate, but for young people, spirits are the most common choice.
"Young people are exploratory and tend to drink to get intoxicated more than adults do, which is one reason spirits are more prevalent. However, spirits are much stronger and more deceptive—it’s easy to drink more than intended and lose control. This can lead to dangerous situations, both for themselves and others," Ghodsi added.
The survey also found that the most common way young people obtain alcohol is through older friends, siblings, or partners. Most often, the alcohol originates from Systembolaget.
"There's a narrative that young people buy smuggled alcohol from illegal sellers in 'alcohol cars' or through social media, but this is less common than portrayed. The findings underscore the responsibility that older friends, siblings, and other adults have in not supplying alcohol to minors," Ghodsi said.
Survey highlights
Among ninth graders, 40% of girls and 31% of boys reported drinking alcohol in the past year.
Among second-year high school students, 73% of girls and 67% of boys reported drinking alcohol.
8% of ninth graders and 22% of high school students reported binge drinking, defined as consuming at least one bottle of wine or equivalent at least once a month.
19% of alcohol consumers in ninth grade reported buying alcohol through social media accounts, compared to 16% in high school.
Read the full report on CAN's website: Selling L. (red.), CAN:s nationella skolundersökning 2024. Stockholm: Centralförbundet för alkohol- och narkotikaupplysning (CAN); 2024. Rapport 230.