A new report on UK drinking trends over the last 20-30 years has been released by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. 'Drinking in the UK: An exploration of trends' examines a range of available national data and identified 5 key trends including:
- increase in drinking amongst women
- increase in drinking among middle- and older-age groups
- increase in drinking in Northern Ireland compared with the rest of the UK
- a possible recent decrease in drinking among 16 to 24-year-olds
- increase in alcohol consumption amongst very young adolescents
The report assesses the reasons behind the trends and considers that the significant increase in women's drinking reflects a decrease in the equalities gap between men and women. Increased drinking amongst older groups is suggested to be attributable to the improved financial circumstances and changed attitudes of the 'baby boomers' who have grown up with increasingly permissive societal attitudes. Increased drinking in Northern Ireland is suggested to be attributable to 'social and economic emancipation', including 1996 licensing laws and the socio-economic improvements associated with the developments of the peace process.
However caution is expressed by the authors when reading into the decrease in 16-24 year olds' drinking, as this group has higher overall levels of consumption and greater variance in data, therefore further study is recommended. The further upward trend identified amongst 11-13 year olds was likely to reflect the influence of their social environment especially family and friends. Increased affordability and advertising expenditure are also legitimate considerations.
Further information on trends and data:
- Continued rise in alcohol-related deaths
- Rise in alcohol sales
- Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) fact sheet on trend of UK affordability
- IAS UK alcohol data map
- Local Alcohol Profiles for England
- Alcohol Needs Assessment and Research Project (ANARP)
- Hospital admissions (NI 39) data and tools
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