Statistics

Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools

Alcohol and Other Drugs on Campus—The Scope of the Problem
The most widespread health problem on college and university campuses in the United States is high-risk alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. Recent reports confirm that the Nation’s campuses continue to encounter significant consequences as a result of the AOD problem. This overview provides readers with data that show the scope of the underage drinking problem on campuses across the country.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Quick Stats—Underage Drinking
Alcohol use by persons under age is a major public health problem. Obtain the latest data on drinking levels among youth, consequences of underage drinking, and prevention of underage drinking.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
YRBSS monitors priority health-risk behaviors and the prevalence of obesity and asthma among youth and young adults. YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by CDC and State, territorial, Tribal, and local surveys conducted by State, territorial, and local education and health agencies and Tribal governments.

Also, the following materials are available:

Fact Sheets

National Trends in Risk Behaviors
These fact sheets show trend data from 1991–2007 for selected risk behaviors. Each fact sheet provides:

• The percentage and confidence intervals for each year that has available data.
• Changes from 1991–2007 based on multivariate trend analysis.
• Changes from 2005–2007 based on t-test analyses.

Trends in the Prevalence of Alcohol Use

Health Risk Behaviors by Sex
This chart shows selected national results by sex. Be sure to check out the alcohol-related behaviors under the categories Behaviors that Contribute to Unintentional Injuries on page 1 and Alcohol and Other Drug Use on pages 2 and 3.

Health Risk Behaviors by Race/Ethnicity
This chart shows selected national results by race/ethnicity. Pages 1-3 have alcohol-related behaviors scattered throughout.

Comparisons Between State or District and National Results
These charts show selected State and large urban school district results compared to national results. Be sure to check out the alcohol-related behaviors under the categories Behaviors that Contribute to Unintentional Injuries and Alcohol and Other Drug Use.

Comprehensive Results

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2007
To learn more about the YRBSS system, results, and interpretation, read this Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2008;57(SS-4):1–131.

Youth Online
Here you can find detailed results by site and health topic, 1991–2007. Also available are results for Alcohol and Other Drug Use.

Data files, summaries, and more information on the survey are available in YRBSS Publications and Data Files and General Information section at the bottom of the YRBSS page.

Alcohol and Drug Use: Publications
This list provides links to youth-related fact sheets for alcohol and impaired driving and links to youth-related alcohol and drug Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs). Often called “the voice of CDC,” the MMWR series is CDC’s primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. The data in the weekly MMWR are provisional, based on weekly reports to CDC by State health departments.

School Health Policies and Programs Study [SHPPS] 2006: Alcohol- or Other Drug-Use Prevention Fact Sheet
SHPPS is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and programs at the State, district, school, and classroom levels; the survey provides data on alcohol prevention in schools.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Underage Drinking and Related Risk Behaviors among Youth
This resource list provides tables that present data on alcohol-related risk behaviors among youth. Note that the data and statistical tables are from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).

A Snapshot of Annual High-Risk College Drinking Consequences
CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov is your one-stop resource for comprehensive research-based information on issues related to alcohol abuse and binge drinking among college students. This snapshot of annual high-risk college drinking consequences includes a concise list of facts outlining the effects of alcohol abuse on college campuses, communities, and students.

The Cool Spot: Facts about Alcohol
This site provides resources, information, and support on alcohol use and abuse among teenagers. For science facts about alcohol, youth can visit the professor’s classroom.

Alcohol Alert
The NIAAA Alcohol Alert is a quarterly bulletin that disseminates important research findings on a single aspect of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Note some of the alerts specific to underage drinking:

• No. 58: Changing the Culture of Campus Drinking (2002)
• No. 59: Underage Drinking: A Major Public Health Challenge (2003)
• No. 67: Underage Drinking (2006)
• No. 68: Young Adult Drinking (2006)
• No. 73: Underage Drinking—Highlights From The Surgeon General's Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking (2007)

Check back regularly for other alerts.

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Monitoring the Future (MTF)
Since 1975, the MTF survey has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide. Survey participants report their drug use behaviors across three time periods: lifetime, past year, and past month. Results from the survey are released each fall. Note the Drug and Alcohol Press Release and Tables. Be sure to check out the alcohol-specific figures: Figure 14, Figure 15. The Data Tables also have some alcohol-specific data. You can explore the survey further at the site.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Office of Applied Studies: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Statistics
Explore this site  to access underage drinking-related data.

A number of Underage Drinking Reports are available which include findings from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). NSDUH is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, ages 12 and older. Not enough time to read the whole report? Check out summaries of these reports at Highlights of Reports on Underage Drinking.

For detailed tables on underage drinking from NSDUH by year, go to Detailed Data Tables.
In addition to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, you can also find the 2007 version with a number of links to underage drinking data and tables.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center: Underage Drinking Costs
The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center was established by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to support its Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program. The Center provides a wide variety of science-based, practical, and effective training and technical assistance services. Learn more about the consumption of alcohol by youth and problems and costs associated with underage drinking in different States and the United States as a whole.

Easy Access to FBI Arrest Statistics: 1994–2006
This resource was developed to provide access to juvenile arrest statistics at the national, State, and county level. Arrest statistics are presented for 29 detailed offense categories. Users can select displays based on counts or rates for juveniles, adults, or all ages combined. For data on people under age 18, click on Juveniles and view arrest statistics for driving under influence, liquor laws, and drunkenness.

Juvenile Court Statistics Databook: Characteristics of liquor law violation cases handled by juvenile courts
The Juvenile Court Statistics Databook provides convenient access to national estimates of the more than 30 million delinquency cases processed by the Nation’s juvenile courts between 1985 and 2005. With this application, users can view preformatted tables describing the demographic characteristics of youth involved in the juvenile justice system and how juvenile courts process these cases, as well as liquor law violation cases.

Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2006 National Report
High profile—often very violent—incidents tend to shape public perceptions of juvenile offenses. It is important for the public, media, elected officials, and juvenile justice professionals to have an accurate view of (1) the crimes committed by juveniles, (2) the proportion and characteristics of youth involved in law-violating behaviors, and (3) trends in these behaviors. On pages 75–81 of this report, you will learn about the prevalence of alcohol use among juveniles.

For more information on juvenile offending, victimization of juveniles, and involvement of youth in the juvenile justice system, please see the Statistical Briefing Book. Check regularly for updated databooks and national reports.