Wednesday 3 July 2013

Hide The Decline

The Mirror today published a bit of a non-story about parents shocked that their 15 and 16 year old kids are growing up in the very same way that they did.

Nothing really too surprising, except this part.
Underage drinking is on the increase, according to research by the Alcohol Concern charity.
Pretty alarming, huh?

Indeed, if we look at the latest published government statistics on smoking, drinking and drug use among young people (page 137), we can see exactly how scary that increase looks in graph form.


Yes, underage drinking is still decreasing just as was reported the last time these figures were released. So how did Alcohol Concern manage to come to the opposite conclusion? After all, it's not like they could have missed the highlighted 'key findings' box, is it? (page 121)
● 45% of pupils said that they had drunk alcohol at least once. This was at the same level as in 2010, and maintains the downward trend since 2001 when 61% of pupils had drunk alcohol. 
● In 2011, 12% of pupils had drunk alcohol in the last week. This continues a decline from 26% in 2001 
● The reported frequency of drinking continues to decline. In 2011, 7% of pupils said they usually drank at least once a week, compared with 20% in 2001.
It seems that, if government statistics don't fit in with AlCon's agenda, they just cobble together their own. A cynic might even be tempted to believe that Alcohol Concern just say anything to justify their non-jobs, doncha think?

Another day, another fake charity fable goes unchallenged in the nation's media.


9 comments:

Crossbow said...

It's not as if they can say that there isn't a problem, where would the ongoing funding come from?

Dick_Puddlecote said...

Precisely. So we need to make a decision, if AlCon think National Statistics are wrong, why do we pay them? If National Statistics are correct, perhaps AlCon should be given a dressing down for talking shit. ;)

Crossbow said...

AlCon should be disbanded - but somehow I suspect they are more likely to get even more funding. There is good job security in being a nannying fussbucket bullshitter.

Reinhard Dekter said...

Alcohol Concern use the statestician who made up Al Gore's Hokey Stick graph.

On another note Dick I'd like to say I've been reading you on and off, mostly on, for a couple of years, and your pieces are as brilliant, insightful and interesting as ever, if not more so.

Dick_Puddlecote said...

Thanks for the kind words, Reinhard. :) {blush}

Tatty said...

There's a difference between what children say they do and what adults - with an agenda - would like to believe they do. There's nothing new in the world, is there.

harleyrider1989 said...

DP as usual your kicking prohibitionist arse! Keep up the excellent work as your efforts and the rest of ours may well prevent another PROHIBITION in law from ever forming as it seems clear they want an AMERICAN STYLE Prohibition Law in the near future. Be it alcohol,tobacco,Firearms,obesity etc they want to not only ban it but ABOLISH IT!

harleyrider1989 said...

AHH yes as Dad would say when we were kids,''Theres another BULL SHIT LAW for ya''.

JonathanBagley said...

Checkout the figure of the woman in the foreground of the Mirror photo. Teacher or Sky Sports News presenter?