Poll of Teens Finds 77 Percent Say They Don’t Drink Alcohol

A poll of high school teens finds 77 percent say they don’t drink alcohol. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), which released the poll, 69 percent of teens say they don’t drink, and an additional 8 percent say they used to drink, but don’t anymore.

When asked why they don’t drink, teens said their top five reasons were because it’s illegal, it can be harmful to their health, it can affect their grades, their parents disapprove, and they don’t want to be like their peers who drink, according to HealthDay.

According to the poll of 695 students, more than half said they would be less likely to be friends with or date someone who is an underage drinker, the article notes.

The results were released during Red Ribbon Week, a national campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of drug and alcohol use among young people.

“As adults, we know how dangerous underage drinking is for our kids, but these new survey results show that teens are getting the message, too,” MADD National President Jan Withers said in a news release.