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ESPAD – are young Europeans getting more alike?

Björn Hibell

EMCDDA ConferenceIdentifying Europe's Information needs for effective drug policy

Lisbon, 6-8 May 2009

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Content

• The most important results in the 2007 survey• Discuss whether European students have

become more alike

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Data collections

• Data collections in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007 (and 2008)

• 26 countries in 1995• 30 countries in 1999• 35 countries in 2003• 35 countries in 2007 (plus 5 in 2008)

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Some facts• Students that will become 16 years old

during the year of the data collection• Nationally representative samples of classes• About 2.400 participating students in each

country • Variation: 393 (Monaco) – 9.981 (Italy)• About 105.000 European students in 2007• Strategy: Standardisation

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Supported by

• The Swedish Government• The Swedish National Institute of Public

Health• The Pompidou Group at the Council of

Europe• The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs

and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

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ESPAD 07Methodological considerations

• Taken together, the methodological problems are limited• Drug use figures are probably somewhat underestimated• Underreporting probably differ somewhat between

countries• However, unlikely that underreporting differs so much that

it effects the main results with clear differences between groups of countries

• Small discrepancies between countries should be considered carefully

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Cigarette use during the last 30 days by gender. 1995–2007. Percentages. Averages for 20 countries.

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Proportion reporting having had five or more drinks a) on oneoccasion during the last 30 days, by gender. 1995–2007. b)

Percentages. Averages for 17 countries.

a) “A 'drink' is a glass/bottle/can of beer (ca 50 cl), a glass/bottle/ can of cider (ca 50 cl), 2 glasses/bottles of alcopops (ca 50 cl), a glass of wine (ca 15 cl), a glass of spirits (ca 5 cl) or a mixed drink).”

b) The question referred to “five or more drinks in a row” 1995–2003 and nor cider or alcopops were included among the examples. However, a questionnaire test in eight countries 2006 found no significant differences between the two versions.

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Lifetime use of any illicit drug a) by gender. 1995–2007.Percentages. Averages for 20 countries.

a) Any illicit drug includes cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines, LSD or other hallucinogens, crack, cocaine and heroin.

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Lifetime use of marijuana or hashish by gender. 1995–2007. Percentages. Averages for 20 countries.

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Changes between 2003 and 2007 in lifetime use of marijuana or hashish. All students. Percentages.

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Lifetime use of marijuana or hashish. All students. 2007. Percentages.

Belgium and Germany: Limited geographical coverage.

Denmark, Spain and USA: Limited comparability.

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Lifetime use of marijuana or hashish by gender. 2007. Percentages.

1) Belgium and Germany: Limited geographical coverage.

2) Denmark, Spain and USA: Limited comparability.

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Use of marijuana or hashish during the last 30 days by gender. 1995-2007. Percentages.

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Lifetime use of any illicit drug other than marijuana or hashish a) by gender. 1995–2007. Percentages. Averages for 20 countries.

a) Any illicit drug but cannabis includes ecstasy, amphetamines, LSD or other hallucinogens, crack, cocaine and heroin.

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Lifetime use of illicit drugs other than marijuana or hashish a). All students. 2007. Percentages.

a) Any illicit drug but cannabis includes ecstasy, amphetamines, LSD or other hallucinogens, crack, cocaine and heroin.

Belgium and Germany: Limited geographical coverage.

Denmark and Spain: Limited comparability.

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Illicit drugs 2007

• Cannabis: 19 % Czech Republic: 45 %• Ecstasy: 3 % Isle of Man, Latvia: 7 %• Cocaine: 3 % Austria: 8 %• Amphetamines: 3 % Isle of Man: 10 %

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Proportion of high-risk users (reference group: 12 months users with complete CAST scale answered).

a) Isle of Man: Confidence intervals have not been adjusted for survey design.

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Proportion of high-risk users (reference group: total sample).

a) Isle of Man: Confidence intervals have not been adjusted for survey design.

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Changes in lifetime use of cannabis between 1995 and 2007. All students. Percentage points.

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Changes in lifetime use of any illicit drug but cannabis from 1995 to 2007. All students. Percentage points.

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Lifetime use of cannabis. Differences in 1995 and 2007 between the top country and some other countries. Countries that participated in both surveys. Percentage points . All students

Country Difference 1995 Difference 2007 5 24 (41 – 17 %) 22 (45 – 23 %) 10 32 (41 – 9 %) 27 (45 – 18 %) 15 34 (41 – 7 %) 32 (45 – 13 %) 20 40 (41 – 1%) 40 (45 – 5 %)

The figures are higher in 2007 but the differences are about the same No important tendency of getting more alike.

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Lifetime use of cannabis in 1995 and 2007. Number of countries with ± 50 % among the 20 countries that participated in both surveys. All students.

± 50 % Number of countries

1995 12 % 6 – 18 % 122007 17 % 9 – 26 % 13

No important tendency of getting more alike.

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Lifetime use of cannabis. High boys/girls ratios (1.8+) in 1995 and 2007.

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Lifetime use of cannabis. Low boys/girls ratios (-1.2) in 1995 and 2007.

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Summary (1)

• Smoking has decreased since 1999• Heavy episode drinking has increased,

especially among girls between 2003 - 2007• Cannabis experiences increased from 1995 to

2003, but are lower in 2007• Illicit drug use is high in the west of Europe,

but...• ... increases mainly in previous Eastern

Europe

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Summary (2)• The percentage of high-risk cannabis

consumers among 12 months users differ a lot: 8 to 19 %

• At population level the prevalence of high risk cannabis use is increasing with the prevalence of cannabis use

• Strong relationships between substances on the aggregate (country) level

• Large differences between countries

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Large differences between countries . All students. 2007

Percentage pointsCigarettes, last 30 days 38 (45 – 7 %)Alcohol, last 30 days 49 (80 – 31 %)5 + drinks, last 30 days 47 (49 – 2 %)Cannabis, lifetime 42 (45 – 3 %)Cannabis, last 30 days 17 (18 – 1 %)Illicit drug but cannabis,

lifetime 15 (16 – 1 %)

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Summary (3)

Have students become more alike?

• Girls have become more equal to boys when it comes to cigarette use and alcohol consumption, but...

• ... no important changes for illicit drug use

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Summary (4)

• Differences between high and low cannabis prevalence countries are about the same in 1995 and 2007

• Countries are clustered in a similar way in 1995 and 2007

• However, the positions of some countries have changed substantially with increases in some countries in former Eastern Europe and decreases in some countries in the west of Europe

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· The report

· Graph engine

· Contact details for all countries

Björn Hibellbjorn.hibell@can.se