Adult drinking patterns in Northern Ireland, 2002

This survey into adult drinking patterns was commissioned by the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland and conducted in November 1999 among a representative sample of adults in Northern Ireland (aged between 18 and 75 inclusive).¹ The sample size was 1,752 individuals, of whom 1,233 were classified as drinkers, ie 70% of the sample (75% of men, 67% of women). It was possible to analyse the sample in respect of age group, gender and socioeconomic grouping.

The drinkers in the sample were taken through the seven days previous to the day of the interview and asked a number of questions about their alcohol use. As a result, it is possible to present a profile of the daily drinking trends of different population sub-groups.

Summary

70% of the sample drink alcohol, that is three quarters (75%) of men and 67% of women.
Prevalence decreases with age and varies by socioeconomic characteristics.
79% of 18-34 year olds drink, compared to 49% of 60-75 year olds.
For men, the drink of choice is beer, lager, cider (77%) and wine (27%), while for women, wine (50%) and spirits or liqueurs (42%) are the most popular drinks.
Preference for beer, lager and cider decreases with age for men and women, while preference for spirits increases.
20% of 18-29 year old women drink alcopops/coolers, compared to just 3% of other groups.
Fewer women in the youngest (37%) and oldest groups (38%) drink wine, compared to those aged 30-44 and 45-59 (57% and 53% respectively).
The most common location for drinking is at home (55%), while 33% drink in a pub and 19% in someone else's home.

The majority of the sample chose to drink at the weekend, 34% on Fridays, 54% on Saturdays and 29% on Sundays.

Percentage of drinkers drinking each day by gender

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
All (1,233)	15	13	15	16	34	54	29
Males (547)	20	17	22	21	42	63	36
Females (686)	11	11	11	12	27	48	24

This table shows that the highest percentage of both men and women drink on Saturday nights, 63% and 48% respectively. It also highlights a trend towards weekend drinking for both sexes.

Percentage of females and males drinking during the week by age group

Base n=686	Mon %	Tues %	Wed %	Thurs %	Fri %	Sat %	Sun %
Female
18-29 years	8	6	10	10	27	44	13
30-44 years	11	11	8	10	28	54	25
45-59 years	12	11	14	11	29	49	30
60-75 years	15	16	13	18	19	30	24
Base n=547	Mon %	Tues %	Wed %	Thurs %	Fri %	Sat %	Sun %
Male
18-29 years	14	13	20	19	42	66	24
30-44 years	15	11	17	14	41	63	36
45-59 years	26	23	26	26	45	61	42
60-75 years	28	26	27	34	40	59	42

Percentage of females and males drinking patterns by socioeconomic group

Base n=686	Mon %	Tues %	Wed %	Thurs %	Fri %	Sat %	Sun %
Female
Professional/intermediate	13	13	13	15	27	50	34
Junior non-manual	12	12	10	12	31	53	27
Skilled manual	12 (N=3)	8 (N=2)	4 (N=1)	0	42	31	23
Semi-skilled/unskilled	8	8	9	10	24	45	15
Base n=547	Mon %	Tues %	Wed %	Thurs %	Fri %	Sat %	Sun %
Male
Professional/intermediate	21	20	23	23	47	55	43
Junior non-manual	15	14	20	18	38	65	32
Skilled manual	19	16	22	21	40	68	34
Semi-skilled/unskilled	21	18	20	19	43	67	34

Across all the socioeconomic groups, the trend towards weekend drinking is confirmed.

Binge drinking

For the purposes of analysis, binge drinkers were defined as men who drank 10 or more units at one sitting, or women who drank seven or more units at one sitting. Out of the total sample of respondents who drank in the seven days prior to their interview, 48% of men and 35% of women drinkers 'binged'.

The binge drinking culture appears to be more common among the younger age group, with 72% of those aged between 18 and 29 who drank in the previous seven days engaging in binge drinking, compared with 19% of all drinkers aged between 60 and 75. This pattern is similar for men and women.

Further analysis of those who drank within the seven days prior to interview revealed a variation by socioeconomic group, with 32% of the professional/intermediate group participating in binge drinking, compared with 74% of those in the semi-skilled/unskilled groups.

The report Adult drinking patterns in Northern Ireland may be downloaded from the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland website at http://www.healthpromotionagency.org.uk/Resources/alcohol/adultdrink.htm.

Reference

Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland. Adult drinking patterns in Northern Ireland. Belfast: Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland, 2002.

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