The latest Consumer Insights study from Empathy Research has found that 6 out of 10 Irish adults (61%) think underage drinking in Ireland is ‘a big problem’.
Significantly more females (65%) were of this opinion compared to males (57%).
A third (34%) of the 1,011 respondents to the survey said that they think Ireland’s underage drinking problem it is no worse than in other countries, while the remaining 5% don’t think it is a big problem.
Looking at this by age, more than 1 in 10 (14%) 18-24 year olds don’t think underage drinking is a problem. This is significantly higher than other age groups; 25-34 years (6%), 35-44 years (2%), 45-54 years (5%) and 55+ years (2%).
Over a third of respondents (36%) also claim to be aware of a supermarket/off-licence that has sold alcohol to people aged under 18, indicating a need for greater vigilance in this area.
In addition, two-thirds of 18-24 year olds (67%) say they are aware of certain supermarkets/off-licences that have sold alcohol to people under the age of 18. This is significantly higher than all other age groups; 25-34 years (37%), 35-44 years (33%), 45-54 years (32%) and 55+ years (28%).
2 out of 5 Irish adults cited they would support raising the legal drinking age in Ireland to 21. Significantly more females (43%) are in favour of raising the legal drinking age in Ireland than males (36%).
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