New study shows underage drinking at historic lows

Here’s some news we can celebrate! Analysis of the latest data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) – a bi-annual study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – confirms that alcohol use by high school students is at its lowest level ever. Just released this summer, it’s a bright spot in a sea of stories about binge-drinking, risk-taking, flash-partying teens. The 2011 data supports similar studies from 2011′s Monitoring the Future and the 2010 and 2011 results from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

The chart shown here is a summary of the YRBSS national data across all grades. We’ve analyzed the data by grade and year. To learn more, just visit the Charts, Graphs & Reports section of this website which has results from all three of the latest major national studies.