London (CNN) Young British people are drinking less alcohol than a decade ago, with abstinence becoming "mainstream" among teenagers and young adults, a new study reveals.

Researchers found that 29% of 16- to 24-year olds were non-drinkers in 2015, up from 18% in 2005.

Half of people in that age group said they had not had a drink in the past week, compared to 35% a decade earlier, according to the study published Wednesday.

And while young people are still the most likely to binge drink, rates of binge drinking -- defined as drinking twice the recommended daily limits -- fell from 27% to 18%.

The team at University College London analyzed data on almost 10,000 young people who had been interviewed about their drinking habits in the annual Health Survey for England between 2005 and 2015.