Young people shun alcohol, study shows

Researchers looked at official health data from the last decade and found almost a third of 16 to 24-year-olds in 2015 said they didn't drink, compared with around one in five in 2005.

Non-drinking was found across a broad range of groups, suggesting it was becoming "more mainstream".

Binge drinking rates also decreased - from 27% in 2005 to 18% in 2015, based on Health Survey for England figures.

Almost 10,000 people were questioned, with the results demonstrating a clear decline in consumption of alcohol among young adults.

The new research, by a team including Noriko Cable from ICLS, revealed that the proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds who do not drink alcohol has increased from 18% in 2005 to 29% in 2015.

Just 28% admitted drinking above the recommended limits, compared with 43% a decade earlier in 2005.

And the number of lifetime abstainers also increased significantly, from 9% in 2005 to 17% in 2015.

• Investigating the growing trend of non-drinking among young people; analysis of repeated cross-sectional surveys in England 2005-2015 is research by Linda Ng Fat, Nicola Shelton and Noriko Cable published in the journal BMC Public Health.
• Read BBC coverage of the study
• Read what the NHS says about the research