Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS): alcohol report 2018

3 Source of and availability of alcohol

Sources of alcohol

Among both age groups, pupils were most likely to get alcohol from their home, from a friend or from a relative. Direct purchase of alcohol from a business was rare (Figure 3.1).

Thirteen year olds were most likely to get alcohol from home, (either with or without permission), whereas 15 year olds were most likely to get their alcohol from a friend (Figure 3.1).

Boys were more likely than girls to say that they purchased alcohol directly from a business (for example, 4% of boys said they purchased alcohol from an off-licence, compared with 2% of girls), whereas girls were more likely than boys to get alcohol from a friend (34% of girls compared with 29% of boys) or relative (34%, compared with 28%).

Figure 3.1 Sources of alcohol among those who have ever had a drink, by age (2018)
Q. Where do you usually get your alcohol from?

Base: pupils who have ever had an alcoholic drink (13 year olds, 3,518) (15 year olds, 6,613)

Attempts to purchase alcohol

The majority of pupils, who have ever had a drink, have never tried to purchase alcohol from either a 'shop, supermarket or off-licence', or a 'pub, bar or club' (Figure 3.2 and Figure 3.3).

Most of the small percentage who did try to purchase alcohol were successful. For example, 4% of 13 year olds tried to buy alcohol from 'a pub, bar or club' and were successful and 1% tried but were not. The same pattern was evident across both age groups and the different types of alcohol outlets.

Figure 3.2 Alcohol purchasing attempts among 13 year olds who have ever had a drink (2018)
Q. In the last 4 weeks, have you bought or tried to buy alcohol from a shop, supermarket, or off-licence/in a pub, bar, or club?

Base: Pub, club or bar: 13 year old pupils who have ever had an alcoholic drink (4,045),
Shop, supermarket or off-licence: 13 year old pupils who have ever had an alcoholic drink (4,034)

Figure 3.3 Alcohol purchasing attempts among 15 year olds who have ever had a drink (2018)
Q. In the last 4 weeks, have you bought or tried to buy alcohol from a shop, supermarket, or off-licence/in a pub, bar, or club?

Base: Pub, club or bar: 15 year old pupils who have ever had an alcoholic drink (7,148),

Shop, supermarket or off-licence: 15 year old pupils who have ever had an alcoholic drink (7,175)

Purchasing from off-trade (shop, supermarket or off-licence)

Across both age groups and genders, the proportion making successful alcohol purchases at shops, supermarkets or off-licences has not changed between 2015 and 2018 (Figure 3.4).

Among 15 year olds, boys were more likely to have tried and successfully made a purchase than girls (Figure 3.4). There was no statistical difference among 13 year olds.

Figure 3.4 Successful off-trade (shop, supermarket or off-licence) alcohol purchase attempts in the last 4 weeks among those who have ever had a drink, by age and sex (2006-2018)
Q. In the last 4 weeks, have you bought or tried to buy alcohol from a shop, supermarket, or off-licence?

Base: pupils who have ever had an alcoholic drink (for full base size information please see Appendix A)

Purchasing alcohol on-trade (pub, bar or club)

Among 13 year olds, the proportion of pupils making successful attempts to purchase alcohol from a pub, bar or club has remained constant (and very low) over time.

Among 15 year olds, there was a steady decrease in the proportion of pupils making successful attempts to purchase alcohol between 2006 and 2013 and then no change between 2013 and 2015 (Figure 3.5). There has been no change between 2015 and 2018, with the exception of a very small increase in the proportion of 15 year olds boys who say they made a successful attempt to purchase alcohol at a pub, bar or club (from 6% in 2015 to 8% in 2018).

The only gender difference in successful on-trade purchasing was that 15 year old boys were slightly more likely to make a successful purchase than 15 year old girls (Figure 3.5).

Figure 3.5 Successful on-trade (pub, bar or club) alcohol purchase attempts in the last 4 weeks among those who have ever had a drink, by age and sex (2006-2018)
Q. In the last 4 weeks, have you bought or tried to buy alcohol in a pub, bar, or club?

Base: pupils who have ever had an alcoholic drink (for full base size information please see Appendix A)

Getting another person to purchase alcohol

Just over a third of 13 year olds (33%) and just over half of 15 year olds (51%) who have ever had a drink, had asked someone else to buy them alcohol in the last 4 weeks.

There has been no change in the proportion of pupils asking someone else to buy alcohol for them between 2015 and 2018 (Figure 3.6).

Among both age groups, girls are more likely than boys to have asked someone else to buy alcohol on their behalf in the last 4 weeks (Figure 3.6).

Figure 3.6 Proportion of pupils who have ever had alcohol who have asked someone else to buy alcohol for them in the last 4 weeks, by age and sex (2006-2018)
Q. Have you got anyone else to buy any alcohol for you in the last 4 weeks?

Base: pupils who have ever had an alcoholic drink (for full base size information please see Appendix A)

Among pupils of both age groups who had someone else buy them alcohol, it was most common for it be their mother, father or carer who did so on the last occasion (Figure 3.7).

To put this into perspective, the 29% of 13 year olds who had ever had a drink and had their mother, father or carer buy them alcohol in the last 4 weeks, represents 2% of all 13 year old pupils.

Among 13 year olds, the only change over time was an increase in the proportion who said that their brother or sister had purchased alcohol on their behalf (5% in 2015, compared with 8% in 2018).

Among 15 year olds, there was an increase in the proportion that said their mother, father, carer purchased alcohol on their behalf (from 23% in 2015 to 33% in 2018) and decreases in the proportion who said that an older friend (from 26% in 2015 to 20% in 2018) or someone they knew of but did not know personally (from 8% in 2015 to 5% in 2018).

Figure 3.7 Proportion of pupils, who have ever had a drink and had asked someone else to get them alcohol in the last 4 weeks, who were given alcohol by each group, by age (2018)
Q. The last time someone bought you alcohol, who was it?

Base: pupils who have ever had an alcoholic drink and got someone else to buy them alcohol in the last 4 weeks (13 year olds, 1,189) (15 year olds 3,141)