What proportion of Australian school students aged 12-17 years drink alcohol?
Just under half (44%) of 12-17 year old school students have consumed alcohol in the past year, about a fifth (22%) have done so in the past month, and 11% have done so in the past week. Approximately one-third (35%) of Australian school students aged 12-17 years have never consumed alcohol.
Source: Scully, M, Koh, I, Bain, E, Wakefield, M, & Durkin, S (2023). ASSAD 2022-23: Australian secondary school students' use of alcohol and other substances. Cancer Council Victoria, Australia.
Please note: Percentages do not tally to 100% as drinking categories (past week, past month, & past year) overlap.
The proportion of school students who have ‘never consumed’ alcohol differs from the proportion of ‘abstainers’ among young people in the general population due to the use of different survey measures. In the secondary students’ survey (ASSAD), those who have never consumed alcohol are defined as those who had not had even a sip of an alcoholic drink in their lifetime. In the general population survey (NDSHS), abstainers are those who have never had a full serve of alcohol.
Proportions of school students drinking yearly, monthly, or weekly also differ from proportions of young people in the general population who drink yearly, monthly, or weekly due to differences in survey measures. The ASSAD measure indicates any alcohol use (even one drink) and the proportions overlap. The NDSHS measures indicate usual drinking frequency over the past 12 months and proportions do not overlap.