August 2010
Conducted by:
Knowledge Networks
QEV Analytics, Ltd.
*The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University is neither affiliated with, nor sponsored
by, the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (also known as "CASA) or any of its member
organizations, or any other organizations with the name of "CASA".
Board of Directors
Lee C. Bollinger
President, Columbia University
Bruce E. Mosler
Chairman and CEO, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.
Ursula M. Burns
Chairman and CEO, Xerox Corporation
Columba Bush
Former First Lady of Florida
Joseph A. Califano, Jr.
Founder and Chairman, CASA
Kenneth I. Chenault
Chairman and CEO,
American Express Company
Joseph J. Plumeri
Chairman and CEO,
Willis Group Holdings Public Limited Company
Jim Ramstad
Member of Congress
(1991 2009)
Peter R. Dolan
Shari E. Redstone
President, National Amusements, Inc.
Victor F. Ganzi
Chairman of the Board PGA Tour
Michael I. Roth
Chairman and CEO, The Interpublic Group
of Companies, Inc.
Directors Emeritus
Michael P. Schulhof
Chairman, GTI Group LLC
Louis W. Sullivan, M.D.
President Emeritus, Morehouse School of Medicine
John J. Sweeney
Clyde C. Tuggle
Senior Vice President, Global Public Affairs &
Communications, The Coca-Cola Company
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. May not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of The National Center
on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
Advisory Group
Timothy Johnson, PhD
Director
Survey Research Laboratory
University of Illinois
Chicago, IL
and
Professor of Public Administration
University of Illinois, School of Public Health
Chicago, IL
Robert Shapiro, PhD
Professor
Department of Political Science
Columbia University
New York, NY
Nicholas Zill, PhD
Psychologist
Washington, DC
and
Former Vice President and Director
Table of Contents
Accompanying Statement........................................................................................................ i
Chapter I: Key Findings.........................................................................................................1
Gangs in Schools .................................................................................................................2
Gangs and Drugs Go Hand-in-Hand....................................................................................2
Teens in Schools with Drugs and Gangs More Likely To Abuse Substances.....................2
Gangs Much More Common in Public Schools ..................................................................2
Trends ..................................................................................................................................3
12- and 13-Year Olds in Drug-Infected Schools More Likely To
Smoke, Drink, Use Marijuana .......................................................................................3
12- and 13-Year Olds in Drug-Infected Schools More Likely To
Know Friends or Classmates Who Drink Regularly or Abuse Illegal Drug
or Prescription Drugs .....................................................................................................3
Strong vs. Weak Family Ties...............................................................................................3
Friends Are Number One Source of Marijuana...................................................................4
Teens with Friends Who Use Marijuana More Likely To Smoke, Drink, Use Marijuana..4
Teens with Friends Who Drink Regularly More Likely To Abuse Substances ..................4
Social Host Laws .................................................................................................................4
Substance Abuse and Sexual Activity .................................................................................4
Tobacco and Marijuana Use ................................................................................................4
Chapter II: Gangs and Drugs in Schools..............................................................................5
Gangs in Schools .................................................................................................................5
Gangs and Drugs Go Hand-in-Hand....................................................................................5
Teens in Schools with Drugs and Gangs at Greater Risk ....................................................6
Public vs. Private/Religious Schools ...................................................................................7
Gangs Signal Easy Access to Marijuana .............................................................................7
Chapter III: Trends ................................................................................................................9
Tobacco, Alcohol and Other Drugs Remain Number One Teen Concern ..........................9
Increase in Drug-Infected Middle Schools ........................................................................10
Increase in Drug-Infected High Schools............................................................................10
Fewer Drug-Free Public Schools .......................................................................................11
Beer and Cigarettes Are Easiest To Get ............................................................................11
Increase in Number of Teens Who Know Friends or Classmates Who
Use Illegal Drugs and Abuse Prescription Drugs ........................................................12
Chapter IV: 12- and 13-Year Olds in Drug-Infected Schools .......................................13
12- and 13-Year Olds in Drug-Infected Schools More Likely To Abuse Substances.......13
12- and 13-Year Olds in Drug-Infected Schools More Likely To Have
Friends Who Abuse Substances...................................................................................14
Access is the Mother of Use ..............................................................................................14
Accompanying Statement by
Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Founder and Chairman
This 15th annual back-to-school survey
continues the unique effort of The National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
(CASA) at Columbia University to track
attitudes of teens and those, like parents, who
influence them. Over a decade and a half,
through this survey we have identified factors
that increase or decrease the likelihood of teen
substance abuse. Armed with this knowledge,
parents, teachers, clergy, coaches and other
responsible adults are better able to help our
nations teens grow up drug free.
We regard this as a work in progress as we try
each year to improve our ability to identify those
situations and characteristics that influence the
risk that a teen will smoke, drink, get drunk, use
illegal drugs, or abuse prescription drugs.
Over the past 16 years we have surveyed
thousands of American teens and their parents.
We have learned how teens attitudes--and their
parents--impact teens behavior. And through
surrogate questions for drug use--such as, If
you wanted to buy marijuana right now, how
long would it take you to get it?--we have
gained insights into Americas teen culture.
Perhaps our most important finding from so
many years of surveying teens and other
research is this: A child who gets through age
21 without smoking, using illegal drugs or
abusing alcohol is virtually certain never to do
so. And, for better or worse, no one has greater
power to influence a teens decision whether to
drink or use drugs than that teens parents.
These surveys are a cornerstone of my latest
book, How To Raise A Drug-Free Kid: The
Straight Dope for Parents, that has been widely
regarded as a powerful tool for parents and is
now in the hands of thousands of parents across
the country. Though written by me, the book is
based on two decades of CASA research.
The QEV Analytics survey reveals that the drugfree school gap between public schools and
private and religious schools is up sharply from
its narrowest point in a decade. In the 2001
CASAs back to school survey, 62 percent of
public school students and 79 percent of private
and religious school students said they attended
drug-free schools; in this years survey, 43
percent of public school students and 78 percent
of private and religious school students say they
attend drug-free schools, widening the drug-free
school gap from 17 points to 35 points.
Family Ties
The steady increase in the number of 12- to 17year olds attending drug-infected schools is a
trajectory to tragedy for millions of children and
families. States require parents to send their
children to school; indeed, in some states it is a
crime if parents fail to do so, other states might
separate the child from parents who do not send
their children to school. These states have an
obligation to provide safe and drug-free schools.
Requiring parents to send 12- to 17-year olds-and even younger children--to drug- and ganginfected schools is an outrageous misuse of
government power--and a mandate that no
parent should be forced to respect. When
parents find that their child is attending a druginfected school with gangs in it, the parents have
a right to demand that the school authorities
(local and state) get their act together before
requiring those parents to send their child there.
-iii-
Hooking Up
Teens who drink and use drugs are more likely
to be hooking up. Seventy-five percent of teens
report that the teens they know who drink
alcohol or use illegal drugs are more likely to
engage in sexual activity.
A Word of Appreciation
I want to express CASAs appreciation to Steve
Wagner, President of QEV Analytics, Ltd., for
administering the telephone survey and
especially for his insightful work in analyzing all
the data, and to the staff at Knowledge
Networks, including Jordon Peugh and Sergei
Rodkin, for their administration of the Internetbased survey.
We much appreciate the counsel of our survey
advisory group members: Timothy Johnson,
PhD, Director of the Survey Research
Laboratory, University of Illinois, Chicago,
Professor of Public Administration, School of
Public Health, University of Illinois, Chicago;
Robert Shapiro, PhD, Professor, Department of
Political Science, Columbia University; and
psychologist Nicholas Zill, PhD, former Vice
President and Director, Child/Family Study
Area, Westat, Inc.
-iv-
Chapter I
Key Findings
Through 15 surveys conducted over 16 years,
CASA has been surveying public opinion on
adolescent substance use, seeking answers to the
question: Why do some teenagers smoke,
drink and use illegal substances while others do
not?
This survey continues an analysis aimed at
revealing factors that contribute to teens risk of
smoking, drinking and using illegal and
prescription drugs. Some of these factors-including teens family dynamics, their friends
substance abuse, their access to alcohol and
other drugs, and their school environment--tend
to cluster. Teens with problems in one area of
their life often have problems in others as well.
Nevertheless, by identifying individual risk
factors, we seek to help parents (and other adults
who influence teens) better identify teens who
are most vulnerable to substance use and
develop strategies to diminish their risk.
Although this survey includes some questions on
past and current substance abuse, it is not
intended to be an epidemiological study. For
measurements of the actual prevalence of
various types of substance abuse, there are better
sources of data, including the Youth Risk
Behavior Surveillance System (conducted by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of
the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services), the Monitoring the Future Study
(conducted at the University of Michigan and
funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
of the National Institutes of Health), and the
National Survey on Drug Use and Health
(sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services).
This years survey is comprised of two separate
surveys--one conducted by telephone, the other
by Internet. The telephone survey included
1,000 teens (ages 12 to 17) in the United States
and contains only trend questions. The teens
who participated in the telephone survey were
Gangs in Schools
-2-
Trends
-3-
-4-
Chapter II
Gangs in Schools
For the first time this year, we asked teens, Are
there gangs at your school or students who
consider themselves to be part of a gang?
Forty-five percent of high school students and
35 percent of middle school students responded,
Yes.
Figure 2.A
30
-5-
Figure 2.B
39
25
23
21
18
13
12
4
2
Tobacco
Alcohol
Marijuana
Figure 2.C
62
47
22
39
13
Friends Drink
Regularly
50
49
33
30
11
Friend/Classmate Friend/Classmate
Abuses
Uses Illegal
Prescription
Drugs
Drugs
Drug-Free School and No Gangs
Friends Smoke
Marijuana
23
-6-
Figure 2.D
46
2
Public
Private/Religious
Figure 2.E
Public
Private/Religious
Figure 2.F
Compared to teens who say they attend a drugfree school with no gangs, teens who report
attending schools with drugs and gangs are
(Figure 2.F):
42
30
10
16
-7-
-8-
Chapter III
Trends
Figure 3.A
28
24
23
26
25
2007
22
24
22
2008
16 15 17 14
2009
5 5 6
Drugs,
Alcohol,
Tobacco
-9-
Social
Pressures
Academic
Pressures
2010
2
Crime and
Violence
Figure 3.B
31
19
2001
21
2002 2003
24
21
20
2004
32
31
28
2005 2006
2007
23
2008 2009
2010
Middle School
Figure 3.C
62
61
53
44
2001
2002 2003
63
64
66
51
50
2004
61
2005 2006
2007
2008 2009
2010
High School
Figure 3.D
60
61
38
38
33
2002 2003
2004
51
47
47
45
2001
58
50
50
51
50
49
44
45
48
37
2005 2006
2007
2008 2009
Not Drug Free
2010
Figure 3.E
79
77
75
62
58
81
71
58
2002
2003
2004
Public School
68
55
48
47
40
2001
75
2005
2006
2007
75
51
2008
78
70
46
2009
43
2010
Private/Religious School
-11-
Figure 3.G
37
36
34
34
2007
2008
2009
2010
Figure 3.H
25
25
2009
2010
24
21
2007
2008
Chapter IV
10
4
0.4
Tobacco
Drug-Free School
-13-
Alcohol
Marijuana
Drug-Infected School
Figure 4.B
9
3
Drink Regularly
Use Marijuana
Drug-Free School
Drug-Infected School
Figure 4.C
36
10
Drug-Infected School
Figure 4.D
Drug-Free School
39
24
20
2
Alcohol
Drug-Free School
-14-
Marijuana
Drug-Infected School
Chapter V
Family Ties
-15-
Table 5.1
What it Means For a Teen to Have Strong/Average/Weak Family Ties
Characteristics of Teens
(Percent of teens in category)
Has excellent relationship with biological/step mother
Strong Ties
(34% of teens)
93%
Average Ties
(33% of teens)
33%
Weak Ties
(33% of teens)
7%
84%
19%
3%
60%
45%
17%
66%
33%
5%
75%
64%
55%
82%
67%
41%
Figure 5.A
20
19
20
12
5
Tobacco
Strong Family Ties
-16-
Alcohol
Average Family Ties
Marijuana
Weak Family Ties
Figure 5.B
56
44
34
23
Friends Drink
Regularly
17
-17-
22
11 13
Friends Use
Marijuana
37
22
19 22
Friend/Classmate Friend/Classmate
Uses Illegal
Abuses
Drugs
Prescription
Drugs
-18-
Chapter VI
Figure 6.A
25
3
Friend/Classmate
-19-
Dealer
Family Member
10
Other
Figure 6.B
57
14
Text
Message/Cell
Phone
Talk Face-toFace
Social
Netw orking
Site
Instant
Message
Other
Figure 6.C
10
1
Tobacco
Alcohol
-20-
Marijuana
Friends Use Marijuana
Figure 6.D
24
9
3
An Hour or Less
A Day or Less
Figure 6.E
15
11
7
An Hour or Less
A Day or Less
Figure 6.F
26
25
8
3
2
Tobacco
-21-
Alcohol
Marijuana
Any Friends Drink Regularly
-22-
Chapter VII
23
18
17
Tobacco
Do Not Let Teen Go
-23-
Alcohol
Marijuana
Allow Teen to Go
27
14
7
Tobacco
4+/Month
Figure 7.B
5
Never Tried Tobacco
15
15
Tried Tobacco
-24-
Alcohol
Marijuana
0-3/Month
Appendix A
A-2
Table A.1
Percent
59.5
53.9
80.1
Table A.2
Sample Performance
A good way to assess the quality of the achieved
survey samples is to compare the results
obtained in the surveys with known
characteristics of the target population; in this
case, the national population of teenagers
between 12 and 17 years of age, and of parents
ages 25 and older living with a child ages 12 to
17. Our benchmark is the December 2009
Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by
the U.S. Census Bureau.
The reported survey results throughout this
report are weighted, meaning the obtained
results were mathematically adjusted to correct
for deviations from the target population profile
derived from the CPS.
A-5
Teens
Gender (Male/Female)
Age (12,13,14,15,16,17)
Race/Hispanic ethnicity (White/NonHispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic,
Other/Mixed/Non-Hispanic)
Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South,
West)
Metropolitan Area (Yes/No)
Table A.3
QEV Analytics
Teen Survey
Parents
Characteristic
Gender (Male/Female)
Age (25-44, 45+)
Race/Hispanic ethnicity (White/NonHispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic,
Other/Mixed/Non-Hispanic)
Education (Less than High School, High
School, Some College, Bachelor and
beyond)
Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South,
West)
Metropolitan Area (Yes/No)
Whether parent has teens of these ages in
household (12,13,14,15,16,17)
Unweighted Weighted
CPS
Survey
Survey Estimates*
A-6
Table A.5
Knowledge Networks
Parent Survey
Characteristic
Table A.4
Knowledge Networks
Teen Survey
Characteristic
Unweighted Weighted
CPS
Survey
Survey Estimates*
Gender
Male
50.3
51.2
51.1
Female
49.7
48.8
48.9
Age
12-years old
8.6
15.7
16.3
13-years old
19.4
16.1
15.9
14-years old
17.3
15.9
15.8
15-years old
16.7
16.0
16.1
16-years old
20.2
17.5
17.3
17-years old
17.7
18.8
18.5
Race and Ethnicity
White, not Hispanic
66.5
58.4
58.8
Black, not Hispanic
14.7
15.0
14.8
Hispanic, any race
10.3
19.4
19.4
Other/Mixed/
No Response
8.4
7.2
7.1
Census Region
Northeast
17.2
18.4
18.2
Midwest
27.9
22.5
22.2
South
31.9
36.1
36.9
West
23.0
23.0
22.6
Metropolitan Area
Non-metro
13.9
15.7
16.8
Metro
86.1
84.3
83.2
*CPS Estimates from Dec 2009 for children ages 12 to 17.
Unweighted Weighted
Survey
Survey
CPS
Estimates*
A-7
Methodological Considerations
Parental Consent
This survey project complied with the protection
of human subjects in research protocols of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The survey instrument and methodology were
reviewed by CASAs Institutional Review Board
(IRB), which required affirmative parental or
guardian consent prior to attempting an
interview with a teenage respondent.
While the explicit refusal rate of parents in the
telephone-based survey, having occurred in 235
cases in the telephone survey, seems modest,
this represents the loss of 12.6 percent of
otherwise eligible households, which is
substantial enough to have an impact on the
achieved sample. This may be a contributing
factor to the understatement of substance use
rates, and to the under-representation of racial
and ethnic populations prior to our corrective
steps of oversampling. Additionally, the fact of
parental consent was known to some number of
teen respondents and this knowledge could
potentially affect responses.
Interview Privacy
Teen respondents were asked at the conclusion
of the interview if their answers could be
overheard (in the telephone survey) or overseen
(in the Internet-based survey) by someone in
their home.
A-8
Appendix B
PARENT SURVEY
1.
What do you feel is the most important problem you face today as the parent of a teenager--that is,
the thing which concerns you the most? [OPEN ENDED]
Education
7% Doing well in school/education
1% Getting into college
*% Quality of education/school system
1% Motivation
Drugs
15% Drugs
2% Alcohol
*% Tobacco
Moral Values
7% Morals/values/making good choices
1% Religion/spirituality
2% Television/ movies/pop culture/computer/Internet
B-1
Social Issues/Relations
16% Peer pressure/social influences
5% Sex/STDs
3% Respecting authority/attitude
4% Communicating with teen
2% Teen pregnancy
1% Dating relationships
*% Being supportive/nurturing parent
3% Friendships/healthy social interactions
Violence
*% Crime and violence in school
5% Other crime and violence/general safety concerns
1% Gangs
Economics
7% Jobs/opportunities/the future/the economy
1% Lack of money/paying for college
Mental Wellbeing
1% Bullies/being bullied
2% Self esteem/happiness/confidence
1% Depression
*% Stress
1% Driving safely
1% Balancing activities
Other
8% Other responses
1% Don't know/no response
2.
And from the point of view of a teenager like your own, what do you think he or she would say is
the most important problem someone their age faces? [OPEN ENDED]
Education
9% Doing well in school
1% Getting into college
*% General lack of quality education
Drugs
12% Drugs
*% Alcohol
*% Tobacco
Moral Values
2% Moral standards/making good choices
*% Television/movies/pop culture
*% Having good adult role models
Social Issues/Relations
B-2
32%
4%
1%
2%
2%
1%
1%
3%
Violence
*% Crime and violence in school
1% Other crime and violence/general safety
1% Gangs
Economics
5% Jobs/ economic opportunities/ the future
2% Lack of money
Mental Wellbeing
2% Bullies/being bullied
1% Personal appearance/confidence/ self esteem
1% Depression
*% Happiness (general)
1% Balancing demands
Other
9% Other responses
5% Don't know/no response
3.
4.
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Would you describe your relationship with [INITIALS] as excellent, very good, good, fair or poor?
42%
42%
13%
3%
1%
*%
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Refused
B-3
5.
How often would you say you argue with your child?
3%
11%
44%
41%
1%
6.
7.
[IF MARRIED] How often would you say you argue with your [spouse/partner]?
1%
7%
33%
34%
*%
25%
8.
[IF NOT HARDLY EVER] When you argue, how often would you say you and your
[spouse/partner] argue in front of your children?
1%
3%
21%
16%
59%
9.
Very good
Fairly good
Not very good
Not good at all
10. In a typical week, how often do you and your children eat dinner together?
3%
4%
9%
7%
12%
24%
14%
26%
0 days
1 day
2 days
3 days
4 days
5 days
6 days
7 days
B-4
11. [IF 6 OR LESS DINNERS] What are some of the reasons you and your children do not have
dinner together more often? [OPEN ENDED]
28% Too busy/different activities
19% At work/late shifts
3% Family not home/out a lot
8% Sports
6% With friends/girl- boy- friends
5% Everyone wants to do own thing
8% Other
25% Dont know
12. You said that in a typical week, you will have dinner with your children [x] times. How many of
these dinners involve eating at a restaurant or getting take out/fast food?
33%
42%
15%
5%
*%
*%
1%
*%
*%
4%
0 dinners
1 dinner
2 dinners
3 dinners
4 dinners
5 dinners
6 dinners
7 dinners
Refused
Not asked
13. By having dinner together, do you think you know more about whats going on in your childs life?
79% Yes
20% No
1% Refused
14. [IF 6 OR LESS DINNERS] Other than at dinner, when do you talk to [INITIALS] about whats
going on in his or her life? [MULTIPLE RESPONSES ACCEPTED]
32%
52%
24%
56%
25%
16%
13%
*%
30%
B-5
Very important
Fairly important
Not too important
Not important at all
16. In a typical month, how often do you attend church or religious services?
40%
8%
9%
6%
15%
23%
0
1
2
3
4
5+
0 days
1 day
2 days
3 days
4-30 days
31 days
Refused
20. To the best of your knowledge, is your teens school a drug-free school or is it not drug free,
meaning some students keep drugs, use drugs or sell drugs on school grounds?
68% School is drug-free
31% School is not drug free
1% Refused
B-6
21. Thinking now about your childs close circle of friends, how many of them drink beer or other
alcoholic drinks?
62%
20%
3%
3%
1%
*%
None of them
Less than half
Half
More than half
All of them
Refused
22. Thinking again about your childs close circle of friends, how many of them smoke marijuana?
66%
13%
3%
3%
1%
15%
*%
None of them
Less than half
Half
More than half
All of them
Dont know
Refused
23. Thinking again about your childs close circle of friends, how many of them use prescription drugs
without a prescription to get high, such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax or Ritalin?
73%
4%
1%
*%
21%
1%
None of them
Less than half
Half
More than half
Dont know
Refused
24. Do you allow your teen to drink a little bit at home with you?
8% Yes
92% No
*% Refused
25. [IF YES] Do you think that allowing your teen to drink a little bit at home with you will prevent
your teen from binge drinking?
7% Yes
1% No
92% Not asked
26. Has your child ever invited friends over for a party at your house?
44% Yes
56% No
B-7
27. [IF YES] When your child has had a party at your house, has another parent ever called you to ask
about the party?
28% Yes
17% No
56% Not asked
28. [IF CALLED] What did the parent want to know?
25%
8%
8%
*%
72%
29. When your child goes to someones house for a party, do you call the parents to ask about the party?
45%
18%
37%
1%
Yes
No
My child doesnt go to parties
Refused
30. [IF CALLS] When you call the parents to ask about the party, what do you want to know?
42%
24%
12%
55%
31. [IF CHILD GOES TO PARTIES] Would you be less likely to call the other parents if you thought
your child would be upset or embarrassed that you called?
6%
57%
*%
37%
32. Do you agree with parents who think it is okay to host a party and let teens drink at their house as
long as they take away the teens car keys?
2% Yes, I agree
98% No, I do not agree
*% Refused
B-8
33. If your child were invited to a party where you knew alcohol was going to be served, would you:
4%
84%
*%
12%
*%
34. [IF NOT LET YOUR CHILD GO] You told us that you would not allow your child to go to a party
where alcohol will be served. How does this make you feel?
8%
18%
36%
23%
*%
16%
35. [IF NOT LET YOUR CHILD GO] Does the fact that other parents allow their child to go to a party
where alcohol will be served make it harder for you to not allow your child to go?
11%
73%
*%
16%
Yes
No
Refused
Not asked
36. Some communities have passed laws that make it illegal for parents to allow other peoples teens to
drink in their home. Would you favor such a law in your community?
86% Yes
14% No
*% Refused
37. Which is easiest for someone your teens age to get: cigarettes, beer, marijuana, or prescription
drugs without a prescription, drugs such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax or Ritalin?
30%
10%
8%
10%
11%
31%
*%
Cigarettes
Beer
Marijuana
Prescription drugs
The same
Dont know
Refused
This response option was provided only for parents with children aged 15 or older.
B-9
38. If you had to guess, how likely is it that your teen will try drugs (including marijuana or
prescription drugs without a prescription to get high) at some point in the future? Is it
5%
16%
48%
20%
11%
*%
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never happen
Dont know
Refused
B-10
Appendix C
C-1
TEEN ASSENT
Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this survey. We are conducting this survey on
behalf of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, a policy research center at Columbia
University. The research will be used to help us understand teen attitudes and the risks teenagers face
today.
If you choose to participate, we will ask about your living situation, relationship with parents, activities at
school and outside of school, teen sexual activity, attitudes about tobacco use, alcohol use, and other drug
use, and experiences with tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. Your responses will be combined with the
responses of children across the country. No identifying information about you will be released to
anyone. We respect your privacy and want to assure you that your responses are both anonymous and
confidential. The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete.
If you are willing to participate in this important study, please click CONTINUE.
CONTINUE
DECLINE TO PARTICIPATE [TERMINATE]
TEEN SURVEY
1.
2.
[IF ATTEND SCHOOL] What grade are you in?/ [IF DOES NOT ATTEND SCHOOL] Are you
being home schooled, or have you stopped going to school?
9%
15%
17%
16%
17%
15%
7%
3%
1%
*%
3.
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
11th grade
12th grade
Home schooled
Stopped going to school
Refused
C-2
4.
5.
6.
Public
Private, not religiously affiliated
Catholic
Other religiously affiliated
Refused
Not asked
Mostly As
Mostly As AND Bs
Mostly Bs
Mostly Bs AND Cs
Mostly Cs
Mostly Cs AND Ds
Mostly Ds AND Fs
Don't know/no response
Not asked
7.
How would you describe your main race? Are you mainly:
68%
16%
3%
1%
12%
*%
8.
White
African-American or black
Asian-American
Native-American
Other/mixed
Refused
What is the most important problem facing people your age--that is, the thing which concerns you the
most? [OPEN ENDED]
Education
10% Doing well in school
2% Getting into college
1% The general lack of quality education
Drugs
13% Drugs
2% Alcohol
1% Tobacco
C-3
Moral Values
2% Declining moral standards/immorality
*% Lack of religion/spirituality
*% Television/movies/pop culture
Social Issues/Relations
16% Social pressures (popularity, fitting-in)
5% Sexual issues
1% Getting along with parents [or parent or guardian]/other problems at home
*% Having a say/communications
2% Drama/friends
1% Dating/relationships
Violence
*% Crime and violence in school
2% Other crime and violence
*% Gangs
Economics
7% Jobs/economic opportunity
2% Lack of money
Mental Wellbeing
6% Bullies/being bullied
1% Depression
*% Suicide
*% Happiness (general)
1% Personal appearance/confidence
Other
18% Other responses
7% Don't know/no response
9.
We know that you live with your mother/stepmother, father/stepfather? Do you have another parent
who lives in this household with you?
79% Yes
20% No
*% Refused
10. [IF YES] Who is the other parent who lives in this household with you?
39%
32%
2%
5%
1%
*%
21%
Biological mother
Biological father
Stepmother
Stepfather
Guardian
Refused
Not asked
C-4
11. Would you describe your relationship with your mother/stepmother, father/stepfather as excellent,
very good, good, fair or poor?
43%
36%
16%
5%
1%
1%
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Refused
12. Would you describe your relationship with your other parent/guardian as excellent, very good, good,
fair or poor?
34%
26%
14%
5%
1%
*%
21%
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Refused
Not asked
13. How often would you say you argue with your parents [or parent or guardian]?
3%
17%
47%
34%
*%
14. How often would you say your parents argue with each other?
3%
8%
35%
33%
1%
21%
15. How good are your parents [or parent or guardian] at really listening to you?
34%
53%
10%
2%
1%
Very good
Fairly good
Not very good
Not good at all
Refused
C-5
16. In a typical month, how often do you attend church or religious services?
35%
9%
8%
7%
20%
22%
1%
0
1
2
3
4
5+
Refused
17. In a typical week, how often do you and your parents [or parent or guardian] eat dinner together?
5%
3%
8%
9%
12%
21%
13%
28%
1%
0 days
1 day
2 days
3 days
4 days
5 days
6 days
7 days
Refused
18. [IF 1 OR MORE DINNERS] Is your [father/stepfather] usually present at family dinners?
64%
10%
1%
25%
Yes
No
Refused
Not asked
19. [IF 5 OR LESS DINNERS] Would you like to eat dinner more often with your parents [or parent
or guardian]?
34%
25%
*%
41%
Yes
No
Refused
Not asked
20. [IF 5 OR LESS DINNERS] What are some of the reasons you and your parents [or parent or
guardian] do not have dinner together more often? [OPEN ENDED]
14%
21%
1%
3%
3%
5%
7%
1%
46%
C-6
21. Do you help with dinner in any of the following ways? [MULTIPLE RESPONSES ACCEPTED]
57%
39%
49%
66%
8%
3%
22. How important to you is eating dinner frequently with your parents [or parent or guardian]?
28%
43%
25%
3%
1%
Very important
Fairly important
Not too important
Not important at all
Refused
23. At dinner, do you talk to your parents [or parent or guardian] about whats going on in your life?
75% Yes
25% No
*% Refused
24. Other than at dinner, when do you talk to your parents [or parent or guardian] about whats going on
in your life? [MULTIPLE RESPONSES ACCEPTED]
39%
71%
25%
71%
32%
21%
15%
1%
25. In a typical week, on how many days do you exercise (for example: play sports, jog, work out, etc)?
9%
4%
10%
14%
12%
29%
9%
13%
1%
0 days
1 day
2 days
3 days
4 days
5 days
6 days
7 days
Refused
C-7
In the following questions, the word drug includes marijuana and prescription drugs when they are used
without a prescription to get high.
26. Is your school a drug-free school or is it not drug free, meaning some students keep drugs, use drugs
or sell drugs on school grounds?
59% My school is drug free
41% My school is not drug free
1% Refused
27. Are there gangs at your school or students who consider themselves to be part of a gang?
39% Yes
60% No
1% Refused
28. [IF YES] Do the members of these gangs sell illegal drugs at your school?
10%
5%
25%
*%
61%
29. Do you know of a kid at your school who brought alcohol to school in order to drink it during the
school day, like for example bringing vodka in a water bottle?
28% Yes
72% No
*% Refused
30. Thinking now about your own close circle of friends, how many of them currently drink beer or
other alcoholic drinks pretty regularly, like most weekends--none of them, less than half, about half,
more than half, or all of them?
61%
26%
6%
4%
1%
1%
None of them
Less than half
Half
More than half
All of them
Refused
C-8
31. When your friends drink, how many drinks do they typically have (one drink is equal to one can of
beer, on shot of liquor, or one glass of wine)?
1%
6%
6%
7%
3%
6%
69%
3%
0 drinks
1 drink
2 drinks
3 drinks
4 drinks
5+ drinks
My friends dont drink
Refused
32. Have you ever in your life had a drink of beer, wine or other alcoholic beverage? By drink I mean a
whole glass or can, not just a sip or two.
22% Yes
78% No
1% Refused
33. [IF NO] What is the main reason you dont drink alcohol? [MULTIPLE RESPONSES
ACCEPTED]
46%
53%
50%
47%
24%
20%
38%
12%
*%
Its illegal
My parents would be upset
I dont want to get in trouble
Bad for me/health reasons
My friends dont drink
Religious beliefs
Personal beliefs
Other
Refused
34. [IF HAD A DRINK] During the past 30 days, on how many days did you have at least one drink of
alcohol?
12%
4%
2%
2%
1%
1%
*%
78%
0 days
1 day
2 days
3 days
4 days
5+ days
Refused
Not asked
C-9
35. [IF HAD A DRINK] In a typical month, how many times will you get drunk, if at all?
17%
2%
1%
1%
*%
1%
*%
78%
0 times
1 time
2 times
3 times
4 times
5+ times
Refused
Not asked
Thinking again about your own close circle of friends, how many of them currently use marijuana-none of them, less than half, about half, more than half, or all of them?
71%
18%
5%
4%
1%
1%
39.
0 days
1 day
2 days
3 days
4 days
5+ days
Refused
Not asked
None of them
Less than half
Half
More than half
All of them
Refused
Do you know a friend or classmate who has used illegal drugs like acid, ecstasy, meth, cocaine, or
heroin?
26% Yes
73% No
1% Refused
C-10
40.
[IF YES] Do you know more than one a friend or classmate who has used illegal drugs like acid,
ecstasy, meth, cocaine, or heroin?
7%
19%
*%
74%
41.
Do you know a friend or classmate who uses prescription drugs without a prescription to get high,
such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax or Ritalin?
16% Yes
83% No, I do not know anyone
1% Refused
42.
[IF YES] Do you know more than one friend or classmate who uses prescription drugs without a
prescription to get high?
11% Yes, I know more than one
5% No, I only know one
85% Not asked
43.
Which is easiest for someone your age to get: cigarettes, beer, marijuana, or prescription drugs
without a prescription, drugs such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax or Ritalin?
23%
10%
12%
6%
7%
41%
1%
44.
Cigarettes
Beer
Marijuana
Prescription drugs
The same
Dont know
Refused
If you wanted to get alcohol right now, how long would it take you to get it: an hour or less, a few
hours, within a day, within a week, longer than a week, or would you be unable to get it?
19%
10%
8%
5%
1%
18%
38%
1%
An hour or less
A few hours
Within a day
Within a week
Longer than a week
Would be unable to get it
Dont know
Refused
C-11
45.
When kids your age drink alcohol, do they also [MULTIPLE RESPONSES ACCEPTED]:
18%
6%
10%
14%
68%
1%
46.
If you wanted to get marijuana right now, how long would it take you to get it: an hour or less, a
few hours, within a day, within a week, longer than a week, or would you be unable to get it?
9%
6%
6%
5%
1%
23%
48%
1%
47.
Friend/classmate
Family member
Dealer
Other
Refused
Not asked]
[IF COULD GET MARIJUANA] How would you contact this person?
58%
3%
4%
14%
*%
57%
7%
1%
[74%
49.
An hour or less
A few hours
Within a day
Within a week
Longer than a week
Would be unable to get it
Dont know
Refused
[IF COULD GET MARIJUANA] If you wanted to get marijuana right now, who would you get it
from?
76%
3%
25%
10%
*%
[72%
48.
Smoke marijuana
Take prescription drugs in order to get high
Use other illegal drugs
Typically just drink alcohol without using other drugs
Dont know
Refused
C-12
50.
If you wanted to get prescription drugs right now without a prescription in order to get high, how
long would it take you to get them: an hour or less, a few hours, within a day, within a week,
longer than a week, or would you be unable to get them?
9%
3%
3%
4%
2%
24%
53%
1%
51.
An hour or less
A few hours
Within a day
Within a week
Longer than a week
Would be unable to get them
Dont know
Refused
52.
[IF NO] What is the main reason you dont use marijuana? [MULTIPLE RESPONSES
ACCEPTED]
62%
59%
56%
61%
31%
24%
46%
12%
*%
11%
53.
How likely is it that you will try drugs (including marijuana or prescription drugs without a
prescription to get high) in the future?
3%
3%
28%
55%
10%
1%
54.
Its illegal
My parents would be upset
I dont want to get in trouble
Bad for me/health reasons
My friends dont use it
Religious beliefs
Personal beliefs
Other
Refused
Not asked
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never happen
Don't know/no response
Refused
Think about the kids your age you know who drink alcohol or use illegal drugs: are these kids
more likely or not more likely to engage in sexual activity?
74% More likely
25% Not more likely
2% Refused
C-13
55.
56.
When you are doing this, how often is someone there drinking alcohol?
2%
3%
22%
73%
1%
57.
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Never
Refused
When you are doing this, how often is someone there using drugs (including marijuana or
prescription drugs without a prescription to get high)?
1%
1%
6%
91%
1%
58.
Go to a party
Hang out with friends at a friends house
Hang out with friends at your house
Hang out with friends at a public place (parking lot, empty building, park)
Go to a club
Go to a movie
Do things with my family
Hang out at home by myself
Other
Refused
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Never
Refused
As you were taking this survey, was there someone there with you who could see your answers?
19% Yes
81% No
1% Refused
C-14
Appendix D
[IF YES]
D-1
TEEN ASSENT
INTRODUCTION: Hello, my name is (__________) and I'm calling on behalf of QEV Analytics, a
public opinion research firm. This is not a sales call; I wont ask you to buy anything.
We are conducting a nationwide research project for The National Center on Addiction
and Substance Abuse, a policy research center at Columbia University, about teen
attitudes and the risks facing teens. We are looking for teenagers between 12 and 17
years old to participate in this survey. Is there someone between 12 and 17 living at
your home?
[IF YES]
[IF YES]
D-2
1.
2.
Do you currently attend school? [IF YES] What grade are you in? [IF NO] Are you being home
schooled, or have you stopped going to school?
11%
15%
16%
16%
16%
14%
8%
1%
3%
1%
*%
3.
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Other
Home schooled
Stopped going to school
Dont know/no response
[IF GRADE 9] Is your school a Middle, Intermediate or Junior High School, or is it a High
School or Senior High School?
3%
13%
1%
*%
84%
4.
12
13
14
15
16
17
[IF ATTEND SCHOOL] What kind of school do you attend: is it public, private but not religious,
Catholic, or religiously-affiliated but not Catholic?
84%
5%
3%
3%
*%
1%
4%
Public
Private, not religiously affiliated
Catholic
Other religiously affiliated
Dont attend school [not asked]
Don't know/no response
Not asked
D-3
5.
[IF ATTEND SCHOOL] What kind of grades do you get in school? Just stop me when I read
the right category
2%
4%
2%
19%
10%
37%
23%
*%
4%
6.
Mostly Ds and Fs
Mostly Cs and Ds
Mostly Cs
Mostly Bs and Cs
Mostly Bs
Mostly As and Bs
Mostly As
Don't know/no response/not asked (not in school)
Not asked
7.
8.
How would you describe your main race: are you mainly: white; African-American or black;
Asian-American; Native American; or other?
59%
15%
4%
1%
2%
*%
9.
White
African-American or black
Asian-American
Native-American
Other/mixed
Don't know/no response
[PRECODE OPEN END] What is the most important problem facing people your age--that is,
the thing which concerns you the most?
Education
10% Doing well in school
4% Getting into college
1% The general lack of quality education
Drugs
21% Drugs
3% Alcohol
2% Tobacco
D-4
Moral Values
1% Declining moral standards/immorality
1% Lack of religion/spirituality
1% Television/movies/pop culture
Social Issues/Relations
13% Social pressures (popularity, fitting-in)
2% Sexual issues
3% Getting along with parents [or parent or guardian]/other problems at home
1% Having a say/communications
2% Drama/friends
1% Dating/relationships
Violence
1% Crime and violence in school
1% Other crime and violence
*% Gangs
Economics
2% Jobs/economic opportunity
1% Lack of money
*% Economy (general)
Mental Wellbeing
6% Bullies/being bullied
1% Personal appearance/confidence
1% Depression
*% Suicide
*% Happiness (general)
Other
9% Other responses
15% Don't know/no response
10. Do you live with your biological mother? [IF NO] Do you live with a stepmother?
91% Biological mother
2% Stepmother
7% Neither
11. Do you live with your biological father? [IF NO] Do you live with a stepfather?
71%
9%
20%
*%
Biological father
Stepfather
Neither
Dont know/no response
D-5
12. Would you describe your relationship with your [mother/stepmother] as excellent, very good, good,
fair or poor?
43%
30%
13%
6%
1%
7%
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Not asked
13. Would you describe your relationship with your [father/stepfather] as excellent, very good, good,
fair or poor?
34%
22%
16%
5%
2%
20%
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Not asked
14. In a typical month, how often do you attend church or religious services? [RECORD ACTUAL
RESPONSE]
25%
9%
9%
8%
31%
16%
3%
0
1
2
3
4
5+
Don't know/no response
15. In a typical week, how often do you and your parents [or parent or guardian] eat dinner together?
[RECORD ACTUAL RESPONSE]
5%
6%
8%
10%
11%
11%
11%
39%
1%
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Don't know/no response
D-6
Lets talk about your school for a moment, and just to be clear, when I mention illegal drugs in the
following question, I mean to include marijuana and prescription drugs when they are used without a
prescription to get high.
16. Is your school a drug-free school or is it not drug free, meaning some students keep drugs, use drugs
or sell drugs on school grounds?
48% Drug free
49% Not drug free
3% Don't know/no response
17. Thinking now about your own close circle of friends, how many of them currently drink beer or
other alcoholic drinks pretty regularly, like most weekends--none of them, less than half, about half,
more than half, or all of them?
62%
22%
7%
7%
2%
1%
None
Less than half
Half
More than half
All of them
Don't know/no response
18. Have you ever in your life had a drink of beer, wine or other alcoholic beverage? By drink I mean a
whole glass or can, not just a sip or two.
26% Yes
74% No
*% Dont know/no response
19. [IF YES] During the past 30 days, on how many days did you have at least one drink of alcohol?
[RECORD ACTUAL RESPONSE]
15%
4%
2%
1%
1%
3%
*%
74%
0 days
1 day
2 days
3 days
4 days
5+ days
Don't know/no response
Not asked
D-7
21. [IF EVER TRIED TOBACCO] During the past 30 days, on how many days did you smoke or chew
tobacco? [RECORD ACTUAL RESPONSE]
4%
2%
1%
1%
*%
4%
*%
89%
Never tried
1 day
2 days
3 days
4 days
5+ days
Don't know/no response
Not asked
22. Thinking again about your own close circle of friends, how many of them currently use marijuana-none of them, less than half, about half, more than half, or all of them?
66%
22%
6%
4%
1%
1%
None
Less than half
Half
More than half
All of them
Don't know/no response
23. Do you know a friend or classmate who has used illegal drugs like acid, ecstasy, meth, cocaine, or
heroin? [IF YES] Do you know more than one person who has used drugs like acid, ecstasy, meth,
cocaine, or heroin?
12%
25%
62%
2%
24. Do you know a friend or classmate who uses prescription drugs without a prescription to get high,
such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax or Ritalin? [IF YES] Do you know more than one person who
uses prescription drugs to get high?
9%
17%
73%
2%
Ecstacy and meth were added to the description of illegal drugs in 2010.
Xanax was added to the description of prescription drugs in 2010.
D-8
25. Which is easiest for someone your age to get: cigarettes, beer, marijuana, or prescription drugs
without a prescription, drugs such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax or Ritalin?
27%
26%
15%
13%
5%
14%
Cigarettes
Beer
Marijuana
Prescription drugs
The same
Don't know/no response
26. Think about the kids your age you know who drink alcohol or use illegal drugs; do you think they
drink or use drugs in order to make it more likely they will hook up or have sex?
33% Yes
56% No
12% Don't know/no response
Just a few more questions and then well be done. I want to remind you that your answers are completely
confidential and no one will know what you have told me.
27. If you wanted to get alcohol right now, how long would it take you to get it: an hour or less, a few
hours, within a day, within a week, longer than a week, or would you be unable to get it?
27%
10%
10%
8%
3%
38%
5%
An hour or less
A few hours
Within a day
Within a week
Longer than a week
Would be unable to get
Don't know/no response
28. If you wanted to get ** marijuana right now, how long would it take you to get it: an hour or less, a
few hours, within a day, within a week, longer than a week, or would you be unable to get it?
13%
8%
8%
13%
6%
48%
5%
An hour or less
A few hours
Within a day
Within a week
Longer than a week
Would be unable to get
Don't know/no response
The question was changed from, Which is easiest for someone your age to buy to Which is easiest for someone
your age to get in 2010.
**
This question was changed from, If you wanted to buy marijuana to If you wanted to get marijuana in 2010.
D-9
29. If you wanted to get prescription drugs right now in order to get high, how long would it take you to
get them: an hour or less, a few hours, within a day, within a week, longer than a week, or would
you be unable to get them?
18%
7%
7%
13%
6%
44%
5%
An hour or less
A few hours
Within a day
Within a week
Longer than a week
Would be unable to buy
Don't know/no response
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never happen
Don't know/no response
32. One final question: as you were speaking with me, was there someone there with you who could
overhear your answers?
22% Yes
77% No
1% Dont know/no response
That's the last of my questions. Thank you very much for your answers and for your time. Good-bye.
*
D-10