2009 Parents and Teens Attitude Tracking Study Report

Following a decade of consistent declines in teen drug abuse, the national study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and MetLife Foundation finds marked upswings in the use of drugs that teens are likely to encounter at parties and in other social situations, particularly alcohol, marijuana and ecstasy.

The number of teens in grades 9 through 12 who reported drinking alcohol in the last month rose 11 percent from 2008 to 2009. Thirty-nine percent, or 6.5 million, teens report alcohol use, up from 35 percent, or about 5.8 million teens, in 2008. The number of teens who reported smoking marijuana in the last month rose to 25 percent, up from 19 percent in 2008. The study also found that Ecstasy use within the past month has risen to 6 percent, compared with 4 percent in 2008.

Underlying these increases are shifts in teen attitudes, particularly a growing belief in the benefits and acceptability of drug use and drinking. The percentage of teens agreeing that “being high feels good” increased from 45 percent in 2008 to 51 percent in 2009, while those saying that “friends usually get high at parties” increased from 69 percent to 75 percent over the same time period. The study also examines parents’ attitudes and beliefs regarding teen drug use. According to the authors, many parents who believe that their teens are using drugs or drinking are not nearly as proactive as they should be.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a nonprofit organization that works to help parents prevent, intervene in and treat drug and alcohol use by their children. The Partnership/MetLife Foundation Attitude Tracking Study has been conducted in schools since 1993, and the parents sample has been conducted in homes since 1995.

Read the report.