Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
The North West Longitudinal Study began in 1991 whereby over seven hundred 'ordinary' adolescents were tracked annually from when they were aged 14 years (Year 1, 1991) to 18 years (Year 5). This follow-up study has recaptured 465 of the cohort at age 22. The aims and objectives of the study were to: furthe develop a longitudinal analysis of the drug careers and drugs pathways of 1990s British youth and young adults; assess the impact of entry into young adulthood/'post adolescence' on the drug careers of an established sample of young people; to monitor the scale and nature of personal, social, 'crime' and health problems associated with extended 'recreational' drugs careers; further explore to what extent and how drug abstainers maintain and protect their status during young adulthood; further identify and describe the public policy implications of 'recreational' drugs careers. Users should note that UKDA hold only this follow-up study and not the original North West Longitudinal Study.
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The dataset contains 855 variables for 465 individual cases. Variables include: personal and social characteristics including work history and expectations, how respondents spend spare time, music preferences, measures of general health and well-being, measures of security and insecurity in relation to work, living arrangements and personal and social relationships, criminal convictions; tobacco and alcohol consumption including a measure of number of cigarettes smoked in the past seven days, measures of frequency of drinking, a last drinking occasion diary, attitudes to drinking alcohol, drinking experiences and problems encountered because of drinking; drugs consumption including attitudes toward drug-taking in general, accessibility to drugs in general, for thirteen individual listed drugs offer situations, ease of access, drugs tried (including recency and frequency measures), future use intentions, last occasion of drug use, when/where taken, frequency of drug-taking, how much spent, how get drugs, ever given drugs to a friend, favourite drugs and substitutes, poly-drug use, reasons for taking drugs, worries about drug-taking, problems encountered related to drug-taking, reasons for no longer taking drugs, drugs status; income and spending patterns - how much money received in one week, net income, spending patterns and preferences, debt and access to consumables. Standard Measures ESRC/ONS Socio-economic Classification.
All eligible cohort respondents for whom the research team had a postal address were sent a questionnaire.
Postal survey
