Illinois teens say they drink nearly twice as much as U.S. average, survey finds
Teenagers from Illinois reported using alcohol at nearly twice the national rate, according to a new survey.
About 13.7% of Illinois teens said they had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, compared to 6.9% of teens nationwide.
The survey was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Teenagers in Illinois reported drinking at nearly twice the rate of their peers across the U.S., according to a recently released survey.
About 13.7% of Illinois teens reported having consumed alcohol during the previous 30 days, compared to just 6.9% of U.S. teens as a whole, according to the 2024 Illinois Youth Survey. The survey was conducted by the Center for Prevention and Development at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
What we know
While substance use among teens declined during the COVID-19 pandemic because of lockdowns and other restrictions, about 10% of Illinois eighth graders surveyed reported acquiring liquor through home delivery services, according to Doug Smith, the center's director and professor of social work at the university.
"This is a newer trend that started when retailers moved to online delivery during the pandemic," Smith said. "It may be time to think about what regulatory approaches, if any, are needed to prevent kids from ordering alcohol online."
By the numbers
Among the teens from Illinois, 8% of high school seniors, 4% of sophomores, and 1% of eighth graders reported binge drinking, the report found.
Overall, about 21% of eighth graders, 28% of 10th graders and 39% of 12th graders said they drank alcohol, used marijuana, sniffed glue or gases, or smoked e-cigarettes or other vaping products.
Much smaller percentages, 1% of eighth and 10th graders and 2% of 12th graders, reported using ecstasy, crack/cocaine, heroin, or hallucinogens/LSD, the survey found.
More than 90% of survey respondents said their parents or guardians had talked with them in the past year about their use of alcohol, marijuana, or tobacco, and more than 80% said their families had clear rules about using substances.
The survey also found significant differences in the views of young people on daily alcohol use versus daily marijuana use.
About 61% of 12th graders, 72% of sophomores, and 69% of eighth graders viewed regular marijuana use as "significantly harmful."
Dig deeper
The research was funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services' Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
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