This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A large proportion of young people in England are shunning alcohol completely, a study has suggested.

Researchers said abstaining from alcohol was becoming “more mainstream” among people aged 16 to 24 after the analysis showed a rise in the proportion of non-drinkers.

The research, published in the journal BMC Public Health, found more than 25% of young people classed themselves as “non-drinkers”.

University College London’s researchers said the norms around drinking appeared to be changing.

They studied data from the annual health survey for England and found the proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds who do not drink alcohol had increased from 18% in 2005 to 29% in 2015.

Meanwhile, the proportion of “lifetime abstainers” rose from 9% to 17%. The study also appeared to show fewer young people were drinking harmful amounts.

In 2005, 43% said they drank above the recommended limits, but this proportion had fallen to 28% 10 years later.

Binge-drinking rates also dropped from 27% in 2005 to 18% in 2015.

But the increased rates of non-drinking were not observed among smokers, ethnic minorities and those with poor mental health, according to the study, which analysed data on almost 10,000 young people.

Dr Linda Ng Fat, the lead author of the study, said: “Increases in non-drinking among young people were found across a broad range of groups, including those living in northern or southern regions of England, among the white population, those in full-time education, in employment and across all social classes and healthier groups.

“That the increase in non-drinking was found across many different groups suggests that non-drinking may becoming more mainstream among young people, which could be caused by cultural factors.

“The increase in young people who choose not to drink alcohol suggests that this behaviour maybe becoming more acceptable, whereas risky behaviours such as binge drinking may be becoming less normalised.”