Young People in 1998
A unique contemporary archive of young people, 'Young People in 1998' also looks back to 1983 and provides the answers to health-related behaviour questions.
'A unique historical and contemporary archive of young people,' writes Professor Ted Wragg (University of Exeter) in his Foreword.
Young People in 1998 is the most extensive study of young people's behaviours ever published by the Schools Health Education Unit.
Our annual Young People reports, based on numerous and widespread school surveys, have been used since 1986 to provide a current 'snapshot' of young people in the UK.
This time, we searched through our archive of almost half a million young people's responses from Health Related Behaviour surveys going back to 1983. Among these 16 years of data there are approximately 200,000 12-13 year olds and 14-15 year olds. They form the subject of this report.
We summarise some highlights from each of the eight sections, but there are discoveries to be made on every page, and not all of them are bad news, even though these may be the most newsworthy! You are welcome to use the attributed comments in " quoted italic" by John Balding (JB), Dr David Regis (DR), and Anne Wise (AW).
1. Diet
Page 3: Twice as many girls are now missing schoolday lunch compared with the late 80s. " We believe that this is tied up with their desire to lose weight -- and it's a bad thing " . -- AW
Page 4: About 60% of 14-15 year old girls currently want to lose weight -- the highest level we have ever recorded. " This dissatisfaction with weight seems neither physically nor mentally healthy " . -- DR
Page 11: A marked and unexpected decline in frequent consumption of fresh fruit occurred during the Nineties. " This finding came out of the blue -- and we still don't understand what's behind it. " -- JB
Page 13: The older boys show less concern than the younger ones do about healthy eating . " Is 'scare fatigue' having its effect on them? " -- DR
2. Doctor & dentist
Page 16: About 50% of all the young people reported seeing their GP in the past three months. " Are GPs aware of these surprisingly high frequencies of attendance? " -- JB
Page 18: More young people are brushing their teeth at least twice than in the Eighties. " This can only be good news for everyone. " -- JB
3. Health & safety
Page 25: Hand-washing after using the toilet -- among the boys, about half as many again do so whenever possible, compared with 1983. " This suggests that hygiene messages are being heard and understood. " -- AB
Page 26: At least half of this young population has at least six baths or showers a week. " No wonder there are water shortages. " -- JB
Page 33: Did the use of painkillers reach a peak in 1994? " Does 'popping pills' start with painkillers? " -- DR
Page 36: A third of the 12-13 year old girls have had fears about going to school because of bullying . " Any fear must have a disabling effect and undermine performance. " -- JB
4. Family & home
Page 42: One in six live with a single parent . " If we are expected to promote 'the value of family life' in sex and relationships education we must recognise that many young people's lives do not conform with a traditional two-parent pattern " . -- DR
Page 49: Almost 30% of the girls and about 25% of the boys do at least part of their school journey by car . " Would walking or cycling be safer, as well as healthier, than travelling by car?" -- AW
Page 52: More than 70% of the 14-15 year olds did some homework on the previous evening. " We have documented rises and falls over the years, but the percentage doing homework is currently as high as it has ever been. " -- DR
Page 53: About 60% of the boys played computer games after school. " Whoever said that young people can't concentrate ought to watch them playing computer games. " -- DR
Page 54: Book reading shows a decline. In 1991, 50% of the 12-13 year old girls read a book on a weekday evening; in 1998 just over 30% did. Other figures are lower. " Are computer games discouraging young people (especially boys) from reading? " - JB
5. Legal & illegal drugs
Page 60: 30% of 14-15 year old girls smoked during the previous week, a rise of about half since the late Eighties. " The lowest figures we have recorded for smoking were in 1987-88, and they are much higher now. What were we doing right in 1988 that we are doing wrong now? " -- DR " Most young people don't smoke, and most smokers want to stop. " -- JB
Page 61: Most of these smokers are able to buy cigarettes illegally from a shop. " It doesn't sound as if proof of identity is being demanded. " -- DR
Page 68: About 40% of the 14-15 year old boys had drunk some beer or lager during the previous week. " We panic about illegal drugs, but the real damage in society is done by the legal ones. " -- DR
Page 75: Among the 14-15 year olds, girls appear to have overtaken the boys as spirit drinkers round about 1996. " The increase in 'drinkers' since they were 12-13 suggests that the 13-14 year olds have a lot to answer for. " -- AW
Page 78: The number of young people buying alcohol illegally from an off-licence may have peaked in 1995. " We know that Trading Standards officers are working hard on monitoring under-age sales. " -- DR
Page 80: Most home drinking is with parents' knowledge -- but certainly not all. " The home is where drinking is most often done -- we teach them how to drink. " -- JB
Page 81: The percentage that think cannabis leaf is always unsafe has not changed much through the Nineties, but anxiety about ecstasy has greatly increased. " Have drug education programmes begun to bite? The increasing concern of the 12-13 year olds with respect to cannabis is interesting. " -- JB
Page 82: More than a third of the 14-15 year olds have been offered an illegal drug -- three times as many as in 1987. " With so much offering of drugs going on, it is natural for 'drugs education' to explore ways of refusing offers. " -- DR
Page 83: About a quarter of 14-15 year old in 1998 had tried an illegal drug -- but the percentages are down from 1996. " Youngsters don't seem to be attracted to drugs at an earlier age than in the Eighties -- it's just that more of them are experimenting. " -- DR
Page 84: In 1998, about 10% of the 14-15 year olds said that they had been regular users of a drug -- usually cannabis. " Although 'ever tried' information is a useful measure of interest in drugs, only regular use is likely to result in problems. " -- DR
Page 86: In 1998 about two-thirds of the 14-15 year olds knew a drug user personally, even though one group might all be thinking of the same person. In 1990 the figure was about 50%. " We must not assume that if we do not tell young people about drugs they won't be interested in them and they won't come across them. " -- DR
6. Money
Page 90: In 1998 about 20% of the 12-13 year olds and almost 40% of the 14-15 year olds had regular paid work . " Work and money open up all sorts of opportunities, including the opportunity to explore health-risky behaviours. " -- DR
Page 96: More boys than girls save money , and the saving habit seems to be on the increase. " These levels of saving may cause some surprise -- they certainly challenge the idea that young people are all living just for today. " -- AW
Page 100: In 1998, about 10% of the 14-15 year old boys had a go in the Lottery draw . Half of these ticket purchases were illegal. " Will interest in gambling, even of this innocent variety, lead to problems later? " -- DR
7. Exercise & sport
Page 102: A majority of the boys enjoy physical activities 'a lot', but only about a third of the girls do. " We know that most of them want to lose weight -- but they don't seem to be turned on by exercise! " -- AB
Page 107: During the Nineties, the proportion of boys and girls that think they are fit or very fit has fallen -- by about a third in the case of the girls. " Do you feel better if you think you are fit? " -- JB " Have popular criteria of 'fitness' risen, making them incorrectly think of themselves as less fit? " -- AW
Page 108: Only about half the boys and a quarter of the girls are exercising weekly to the minimum recommended level. " Perhaps their current levels of exercise makes them believe that they are fit enough anyway. " -- JB
8. Social & personal
Page 110: Since 1983 the proportion saying that they have a current boyfriend or girlfriend has fallen. " Girls tend to have boyfriends who are older than themselves, and who may introduce them to 'riskier' behaviours than they had planned for. " -- AW
Page 112: Fewer say parents are their main source of sex information than in 1983; during the Nineties, the status of school lessons has improved. " For schools to do sex education well, they may have had to do it alongside a flurry of other changes in education. Parents may still be doing just as well, but schools are doing better." -- DR
Page 114: Worrying about school work is on the increase, and more than half the 14-15 year old girls worry about the way they look . " Girls worry more about school work problems -- we worry more about boys not working at school " . -- DR
Page 121: The young people's measured self-esteem was higher in 1998 than ever before. " Is it possible to have too much self-esteem? " -- DR
Page 123: Fewer than a quarter of the young people think that they can make a big difference to their health through their own efforts. " Do they blame the environment, or are they being fatalistic? " -- DR
Page 125: Between 85% and 90% really trust at least two adults -- trust levels seem to have risen during the Nineties. " It's nice to think that most young people have got someone to turn to, even though it may not be Mum or Dad. " -- DR
Page 126: More boys (70%) than girls (60%) say they are quite or very satisfied with their lives. " Girls' lower satisfaction can be related to their greater tendency to worry about problems. But our evidence suggests that young people are not more worried than they used to be, although they may worry about different things. " -- AW
'A unique historical and contemporary archive of young people,' writes Professor Ted Wragg (University of Exeter) in his Foreword.
Young People in 1998 is the most extensive study of young people's behaviours ever published by the Schools Health Education Unit.
Our annual Young People reports, based on numerous and widespread school surveys, have been used since 1986 to provide a current 'snapshot' of young people in the UK.
This time, we searched through our archive of almost half a million young people's responses from Health Related Behaviour surveys going back to 1983. Among these 16 years of data there are approximately 200,000 12-13 year olds and 14-15 year olds. They form the subject of this report.
We summarise some highlights from each of the eight sections, but there are discoveries to be made on every page, and not all of them are bad news, even though these may be the most newsworthy! You are welcome to use the attributed comments in " quoted italic" by John Balding (JB), Dr David Regis (DR), and Anne Wise (AW).
1. Diet
Page 3: Twice as many girls are now missing schoolday lunch compared with the late 80s. " We believe that this is tied up with their desire to lose weight -- and it's a bad thing " . -- AW
Page 4: About 60% of 14-15 year old girls currently want to lose weight -- the highest level we have ever recorded. " This dissatisfaction with weight seems neither physically nor mentally healthy " . -- DR
Page 11: A marked and unexpected decline in frequent consumption of fresh fruit occurred during the Nineties. " This finding came out of the blue -- and we still don't understand what's behind it. " -- JB
Page 13: The older boys show less concern than the younger ones do about healthy eating . " Is 'scare fatigue' having its effect on them? " -- DR
2. Doctor & dentist
Page 16: About 50% of all the young people reported seeing their GP in the past three months. " Are GPs aware of these surprisingly high frequencies of attendance? " -- JB
Page 18: More young people are brushing their teeth at least twice than in the Eighties. " This can only be good news for everyone. " -- JB
3. Health & safety
Page 25: Hand-washing after using the toilet -- among the boys, about half as many again do so whenever possible, compared with 1983. " This suggests that hygiene messages are being heard and understood. " -- AB
Page 26: At least half of this young population has at least six baths or showers a week. " No wonder there are water shortages. " -- JB
Page 33: Did the use of painkillers reach a peak in 1994? " Does 'popping pills' start with painkillers? " -- DR
Page 36: A third of the 12-13 year old girls have had fears about going to school because of bullying . " Any fear must have a disabling effect and undermine performance. " -- JB
4. Family & home
Page 42: One in six live with a single parent . " If we are expected to promote 'the value of family life' in sex and relationships education we must recognise that many young people's lives do not conform with a traditional two-parent pattern " . -- DR
Page 49: Almost 30% of the girls and about 25% of the boys do at least part of their school journey by car . " Would walking or cycling be safer, as well as healthier, than travelling by car?" -- AW
Page 52: More than 70% of the 14-15 year olds did some homework on the previous evening. " We have documented rises and falls over the years, but the percentage doing homework is currently as high as it has ever been. " -- DR
Page 53: About 60% of the boys played computer games after school. " Whoever said that young people can't concentrate ought to watch them playing computer games. " -- DR
Page 54: Book reading shows a decline. In 1991, 50% of the 12-13 year old girls read a book on a weekday evening; in 1998 just over 30% did. Other figures are lower. " Are computer games discouraging young people (especially boys) from reading? " - JB
5. Legal & illegal drugs
Page 60: 30% of 14-15 year old girls smoked during the previous week, a rise of about half since the late Eighties. " The lowest figures we have recorded for smoking were in 1987-88, and they are much higher now. What were we doing right in 1988 that we are doing wrong now? " -- DR " Most young people don't smoke, and most smokers want to stop. " -- JB
Page 61: Most of these smokers are able to buy cigarettes illegally from a shop. " It doesn't sound as if proof of identity is being demanded. " -- DR
Page 68: About 40% of the 14-15 year old boys had drunk some beer or lager during the previous week. " We panic about illegal drugs, but the real damage in society is done by the legal ones. " -- DR
Page 75: Among the 14-15 year olds, girls appear to have overtaken the boys as spirit drinkers round about 1996. " The increase in 'drinkers' since they were 12-13 suggests that the 13-14 year olds have a lot to answer for. " -- AW
Page 78: The number of young people buying alcohol illegally from an off-licence may have peaked in 1995. " We know that Trading Standards officers are working hard on monitoring under-age sales. " -- DR
Page 80: Most home drinking is with parents' knowledge -- but certainly not all. " The home is where drinking is most often done -- we teach them how to drink. " -- JB
Page 81: The percentage that think cannabis leaf is always unsafe has not changed much through the Nineties, but anxiety about ecstasy has greatly increased. " Have drug education programmes begun to bite? The increasing concern of the 12-13 year olds with respect to cannabis is interesting. " -- JB
Page 82: More than a third of the 14-15 year olds have been offered an illegal drug -- three times as many as in 1987. " With so much offering of drugs going on, it is natural for 'drugs education' to explore ways of refusing offers. " -- DR
Page 83: About a quarter of 14-15 year old in 1998 had tried an illegal drug -- but the percentages are down from 1996. " Youngsters don't seem to be attracted to drugs at an earlier age than in the Eighties -- it's just that more of them are experimenting. " -- DR
Page 84: In 1998, about 10% of the 14-15 year olds said that they had been regular users of a drug -- usually cannabis. " Although 'ever tried' information is a useful measure of interest in drugs, only regular use is likely to result in problems. " -- DR
Page 86: In 1998 about two-thirds of the 14-15 year olds knew a drug user personally, even though one group might all be thinking of the same person. In 1990 the figure was about 50%. " We must not assume that if we do not tell young people about drugs they won't be interested in them and they won't come across them. " -- DR
6. Money
Page 90: In 1998 about 20% of the 12-13 year olds and almost 40% of the 14-15 year olds had regular paid work . " Work and money open up all sorts of opportunities, including the opportunity to explore health-risky behaviours. " -- DR
Page 96: More boys than girls save money , and the saving habit seems to be on the increase. " These levels of saving may cause some surprise -- they certainly challenge the idea that young people are all living just for today. " -- AW
Page 100: In 1998, about 10% of the 14-15 year old boys had a go in the Lottery draw . Half of these ticket purchases were illegal. " Will interest in gambling, even of this innocent variety, lead to problems later? " -- DR
7. Exercise & sport
Page 102: A majority of the boys enjoy physical activities 'a lot', but only about a third of the girls do. " We know that most of them want to lose weight -- but they don't seem to be turned on by exercise! " -- AB
Page 107: During the Nineties, the proportion of boys and girls that think they are fit or very fit has fallen -- by about a third in the case of the girls. " Do you feel better if you think you are fit? " -- JB " Have popular criteria of 'fitness' risen, making them incorrectly think of themselves as less fit? " -- AW
Page 108: Only about half the boys and a quarter of the girls are exercising weekly to the minimum recommended level. " Perhaps their current levels of exercise makes them believe that they are fit enough anyway. " -- JB
8. Social & personal
Page 110: Since 1983 the proportion saying that they have a current boyfriend or girlfriend has fallen. " Girls tend to have boyfriends who are older than themselves, and who may introduce them to 'riskier' behaviours than they had planned for. " -- AW
Page 112: Fewer say parents are their main source of sex information than in 1983; during the Nineties, the status of school lessons has improved. " For schools to do sex education well, they may have had to do it alongside a flurry of other changes in education. Parents may still be doing just as well, but schools are doing better." -- DR
Page 114: Worrying about school work is on the increase, and more than half the 14-15 year old girls worry about the way they look . " Girls worry more about school work problems -- we worry more about boys not working at school " . -- DR
Page 121: The young people's measured self-esteem was higher in 1998 than ever before. " Is it possible to have too much self-esteem? " -- DR
Page 123: Fewer than a quarter of the young people think that they can make a big difference to their health through their own efforts. " Do they blame the environment, or are they being fatalistic? " -- DR
Page 125: Between 85% and 90% really trust at least two adults -- trust levels seem to have risen during the Nineties. " It's nice to think that most young people have got someone to turn to, even though it may not be Mum or Dad. " -- DR
Page 126: More boys (70%) than girls (60%) say they are quite or very satisfied with their lives. " Girls' lower satisfaction can be related to their greater tendency to worry about problems. But our evidence suggests that young people are not more worried than they used to be, although they may worry about different things. " -- AW
Professor Ted Wragg's Foreword:
There were some very significant changes in our society during the fifteen years between 1983 and 1998: millions of jobs disappeared from manufacturing industry, computers spread rapidly through offices and homes, larger numbers of pupils achieved formal qualifications, girls began to outperform boys at all stages of schooling, and the proportion of each age group going on to university increased from a seventh to a third.
During this critical fifteen year period John Balding and his colleagues at the Schools Health Education Unit have assiduously chronicled the changes in young people's lifestyles. Some 500,000 pupils have filled in questionnaires about every conceivable aspect of their health and well-being. It is a unique historical and contemporary archive of young people in the last years of the millennium.
It is always easy to look for the bad news and there is understandable alarm whenever the figures for drug taking, smoking or alcohol consumption go up. What is encouraging, however, is that most young people seem to lead a very healthy life, both physically and mentally. The word 'sensible' comes to mind more frequently than 'dangerous' or 'irresponsible'. The great majority do their homework, clean their teeth regularly and save up their pocket money.
Even in areas of great worry, like drug taking, it is noticeable that the figures seem to be on a downward trend. Whereas the numbers of 14-15 year olds trying an illegal drug have increased substantially during the past fifteen years, from below ten per cent to about a quarter, the number of regular users of most of the individual drugs in the list is actually below one per cent.
What is noticeable is how, in a number of areas, girls' and boys' profiles have changed over the years. Although they spend longer than boys on their homework, girls are more likely to smoke and drink wine. Their profiles are also moving close to the boys in drinking spirits and trying drugs, and older girls are far less likely to play sports. This is a matter of some concern, as young women are now notoriously unattracted to team sports once they enter and leave adolescence. Most worrying of all, however, is girls' much greater anxiety about their body shape. Whereas boys have sportsmen and pop singers as their role models, most of whom are fairly chunky, girls are tempted to envy emaciated 'super models'.
It is in this and other areas where adults, including parents and teachers, can use the masses of valuable data that this report contains. Over the years there has been some excellent press coverage of the findings of John Balding and his team and I hope once more they are brought to the attention of a wide audience.
Ted Wragg
There were some very significant changes in our society during the fifteen years between 1983 and 1998: millions of jobs disappeared from manufacturing industry, computers spread rapidly through offices and homes, larger numbers of pupils achieved formal qualifications, girls began to outperform boys at all stages of schooling, and the proportion of each age group going on to university increased from a seventh to a third.
During this critical fifteen year period John Balding and his colleagues at the Schools Health Education Unit have assiduously chronicled the changes in young people's lifestyles. Some 500,000 pupils have filled in questionnaires about every conceivable aspect of their health and well-being. It is a unique historical and contemporary archive of young people in the last years of the millennium.
It is always easy to look for the bad news and there is understandable alarm whenever the figures for drug taking, smoking or alcohol consumption go up. What is encouraging, however, is that most young people seem to lead a very healthy life, both physically and mentally. The word 'sensible' comes to mind more frequently than 'dangerous' or 'irresponsible'. The great majority do their homework, clean their teeth regularly and save up their pocket money.
Even in areas of great worry, like drug taking, it is noticeable that the figures seem to be on a downward trend. Whereas the numbers of 14-15 year olds trying an illegal drug have increased substantially during the past fifteen years, from below ten per cent to about a quarter, the number of regular users of most of the individual drugs in the list is actually below one per cent.
What is noticeable is how, in a number of areas, girls' and boys' profiles have changed over the years. Although they spend longer than boys on their homework, girls are more likely to smoke and drink wine. Their profiles are also moving close to the boys in drinking spirits and trying drugs, and older girls are far less likely to play sports. This is a matter of some concern, as young women are now notoriously unattracted to team sports once they enter and leave adolescence. Most worrying of all, however, is girls' much greater anxiety about their body shape. Whereas boys have sportsmen and pop singers as their role models, most of whom are fairly chunky, girls are tempted to envy emaciated 'super models'.
It is in this and other areas where adults, including parents and teachers, can use the masses of valuable data that this report contains. Over the years there has been some excellent press coverage of the findings of John Balding and his team and I hope once more they are brought to the attention of a wide audience.
Ted Wragg