Young Persons’ Behaviour & Attitudes Survey 2019

Date published: 22 September 2020

Key findings from the Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitudes Survey have been published today

The Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitudes Survey (YPBAS) is a school-based study of the behaviour and attitudes of 11-16 year-olds in Northern Ireland. The latest round of the survey was conducted in 2019.

Key Points

• More than one quarter of young people (28%) stated that they had a physical or mental health condition or illnesses, lasting or expected to last, for 12 months or more.
• Although almost three quarters of young people (72%) said that they should be eating 5 or more portions of fruit or vegetables each day to be healthy, only 19% reported that they usually did so.
• One in ten young people (10%) said they had smoked tobacco and one in five young people (20%) said they had used an e-cigarette.
• Overall, 71% of young people said that they had never taken an alcoholic drink. A very small proportion of young people (5%) said that they had consumed an alcoholic drink in the previous week.
• Only 5% of young people said that they have ever used or taken drugs.
• Almost three in ten young people (29%) were worried about being bullied and nearly one fifth (18%) reported being bullied in a way that frightened or upset them in the last 12 months.

The publication of the key findings is available on the Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitude Survey 2019 page.