Survey of views and attitudes of 18-30 year olds in respect of illicit drugs, 1999
Printer-friendly versionThis research was carried out in 1999 in order to assess the knowledge and attitudes of 18-30 year olds in Northern Ireland in respect of illicit drug use.1 A total of 990 people were surveyed.
Have you ever taken drugs?
|
Total |
Male |
Female |
18-21 |
22-25 |
26-30 |
|
| Yes, once only | 9.0% | 7.9% | 9.7% | 9.9% | 12.1% | 5.4% |
| Yes, more than once | 25.7% | 33.9% | 17.6% | 29.0% | 30.1% | 17.6% |
| Never | 63.3% | 55.9% | 71.0% | 59.8% | 55.4% | 74.0% |
| Missing | 2.0% | 2.3% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 2.9% |
ie 34.7% (343 respondents) of the total sample (n=990) had taken drugs at least once.
Have you ever tried drugs?
|
EHSSB |
NHSSB |
SHSSB |
WHSSB |
|
| Yes, once only | 8.8% | 9.6% | 10.4% | 5.5% |
| Yes, more than once | 32.9% | 22.6% | 18.8% | 21.8% |
| Never | 56.4% | 64.6% | 69.8% | 71.8% |
| Missing | 1.9% | 3.2% | 1.0% | 0.9% |
What drugs have you taken?
|
Total |
Male |
Female |
18-21 |
22-25 |
26-30 |
|
| Cannabis | 86.0% | 84.6% | 88.9% | 85.9% | 83.5% | 90.3% |
| Magic mushrooms | 24.2% | 29.9% | 15.6% | 22.8% | 26.1% | 20.8% |
| Speed | 42.0% | 49.8% | 31.9% | 44.3% | 44.3% | 36.1% |
| LSD | 39.4% | 47.8% | 27.4% | 36.2% | 47.8% | 34.7% |
| Ecstasy | 48.7% | 53.7% | 41.5% | 51.0% | 53.0% | 36.1% |
| Cocaine | 13.7% | 15.4% | 11.9% | 10.7% | 20.9% | 9.7% |
| Crack | 2.9% | 5.0% | 0% | 2.0% | 4.3% | 2.8% |
| Heroin | 2.0% | 3.5% | 0% | 2.7% | 1.7% | 1.4% |
| Poppers | 36.4% | 39.3% | 33.3% | 37.6% | 37.4% | 31.9% |
| Solvents | 25.7% | 29.4% | 20.7% | 30.2% | 21.7% | 20.8% |
ie Of those 343 people who had taken illicit drugs at least once, 86.0% (294 people) had taken cannabis - 29.8% of the total sample.
Which of these drugs do you still take?
|
Total |
Male |
Female |
18-21 |
22-25 |
26-30 |
|
| Cannabis | 44.9% | 52.2% | 35.6% | 57.7% | 35.7% | 33.3% |
| Magic mushrooms | 6.4% | 9.0% | 3.0% | 9.4% | 3.5% | 4.2% |
| Speed | 18.1% | 26.4% | 6.7% | 26.8% | 9.6% | 15.3% |
| LSD | 13.4% | 19.9% | 4.4% | 18.8% | 9.6% | 9.7% |
| Ecstasy | 20.7% | 23.4% | 17.7% | 28.2% | 17.4% | 9.7% |
| Cocaine | 5.5% | 7.0% | 3.7% | 6.0% | 7.0% | 2.8% |
| Crack | 1.5% | 2.5% | 0% | 1.3% | 2.6% | 0% |
| Heroin | 0.6% | 1.0% | 0% | 1.3% | 0% | 0% |
| Poppers | 5.5% | 7.0% | 3.7% | 8.7% | 2.6% | 2.8% |
| Solvents | 2.0% | 2.5% | 1.5% | 4.0% | 0% | 0% |
ie Of those 343 people who had tried illegal drugs at least once, 44.9% (154 people) were still taking cannabis at the time of the survey - 15.5% of the total sample.
Reference
- Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland. Qualitative research on drugs amongst the 18-30s. Unpublished, 1999.