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This research looked at a range of health issues affecting the adult population, including alcohol consumption. A random sample of 3,520 addresses in Northern Ireland was selected for inclusion in the survey. Data on alcohol were collected during face-to-face interviews.

The findings on alcohol consumption show the type of drink consumed and drinking frequency for adults aged 16 years and above.

Main findings

Women

• 28% of all women aged 16 years and over were non-drinkers.
• 22% of women had never drunk.
• Overall, 72% of women were current drinkers.
• 82% of women aged 16-24 years were current drinkers, compared to 42% of those aged 75 and over.
• The 25-34 year old age group contained the highest percentage of people who drank alcohol (85% of women).
• 81% of those in professional/managerial positions indicated that they were current drinkers, compared to 56% in skilled manual occupations. When adjusted for age, the figure for female skilled manual workers who drank rose from 56% to 68%.
• Although initial analysis indicated that more Catholic women (76%) than Protestant women (70%) were current drinkers, this difference was not significant after adjustment for age.
• 30% of women drank beer or cider, 53% drank wine and 47% drank spirits or liqueurs.
• 60% of 16-24 year olds drank beer, compared to 4% of women aged 75 years or over.
• Spirits and liqueur drinking was lowest among women aged 75 years or over (34%), and varied across other age groups (45-56%).
• 38% of 16-24 year olds, 65% of 45-54 year olds and 28% of women aged over 75 years drank wine.

Men

• 21% of men aged 16 years and over are non-drinkers.
• 14% of men had never drunk.
• Overall, 79% of men were current drinkers.
• 85% of men aged between 16-24 years were current drinkers, compared to 54% of those aged 75 and over.
• The 25-34 year old age group contained the highest percentage of people who drank alcohol (90% men).
• 86% of men in skilled non-manual occupations were current drinkers, compared to 70% of unskilled men.
• There was no difference in the proportion of Catholic and Protestant men who drank, although more Catholic than Protestant men had never drunk after adjustment for age (16% and 11% respectively).
• 81% of men drank beer or cider, 33% drank wine and 49% drank spirits or liqueurs.
• Among 16-24 year olds, 92% drank beer or cider. This decreased with age to 58% of those aged 75 years or over.
• 39% of 16-24 year olds drank spirits or liqueurs. This figure increased to 56% of over 75 year olds.
• Wine drinking reached its highest level of 43% among 45-54 year old men, with the youngest and oldest age groups reporting levels of 27% and 20% respectively.

Reference

1. Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety. Northern Ireland Survey of Health and Social Wellbeing. Belfast: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, 1997