Alcohol use among Norwegian 15–16-year-olds, 2014-2024: gender, social and rural-urban inequalities
Abstract
Background: Alcohol initiation typically occurs during adolescence, and early onset is associated with increased short- and long-term health and social risks. Parental attitudes and permission to drink alcohol influence adolescents’ drinking behaviors and may and contribute to social and geographical inequalities. This study examines national trends in parental permission to drink, lifetime alcohol use, and intoxication among Norwegian 15–16-year-olds from 2014 to 2024, and explores differences by gender, socioeconomic position (SEP), and rural–urban residence.
Methods: The study builds on data from the nationwide repeated cross-sectional Ungdata survey collected in four period: 2014-2016, 2017–2019, 2021 and 2024. The sample included adolescents attending 10th grade lower secondary school (N = 160,663, 49% girls). Prevalence estimates were calculated using logistic regression models, stratified by gender, SEP and municipal centrality.
Results: From 2014 to 2021, lifetime alcohol use declined among boys (57% to 50%) and girls (59% to 54%). In the post-pandemic period (2024), a modest increase was observed among girls (to 56%), while levels among boys remained stable. Intoxication also increased post-pandemic, from 26% to 29% among girls and from 21% to 24% among boys. Parental permission to drink declined steadily until the COVID‑19 pandemic, increased thereafter, and remained consistently more prevalent among adolescents with low SEP than among those with high SEP. Across all outcomes, alcohol use, intoxication, and parental permission, prevalences were higher in rural than in urban municipalities.
Conclusions: Post‑pandemic increases in alcohol consumption, intoxication, and parental permission to drink were observed alongside persistent gender, socioeconomic, and rural–urban inequalities. These findings underscore the need for targeted public health prevention strategies that address both social inequalities and parental practices.
Key messages: • After COVID 19, adolescent ever alcohol use and intoxication, increased, with the strongest prevalences observed among girls.
• Parental permission to drink alcohol was more prevalent among adolescents with low socioeconomic position and those living in rural areas.
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BibTeX
@article{myhr2026alcohol,
title = {{Alcohol use among Norwegian 15–16-year-olds, 2014-2024: gender, social and rural-urban inequalities}},
author = {A R Myhr and R K Vesterbekkmo and E R Sund},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1687},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1687},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Alcohol use among Norwegian 15–16-year-olds, 2014-2024: gender, social and rural-urban inequalities
AU - A R Myhr
AU - R K Vesterbekkmo
AU - E R Sund
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1687
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1687
AB - Background: Alcohol initiation typically occurs during adolescence, and early onset is associated with increased short- and long-term health and social risks. Parental attitudes and permission to drink alcohol influence adolescents’ drinking behaviors and may and contribute to social and geographical inequalities. This study examines national trends in parental permission to drink, lifetime alcohol use, and intoxication among Norwegian 15–16-year-olds from 2014 to 2024, and explores differences by gender, socioeconomic position (SEP), and rural–urban residence. Methods: The study builds on data from the nationwide repeated cross-sectional Ungdata survey collected in four period: 2014-2016, 2017–2019, 2021 and 2024. The sample included adolescents attending 10th grade lower secondary school (N = 160,663, 49% girls). Prevalence estimates were calculated using logistic regression models, stratified by gender, SEP and municipal centrality. Results: From 2014 to 2021, lifetime alcohol use declined among boys (57% to 50%) and girls (59% to 54%). In the post-pandemic period (2024), a modest increase was observed among girls (to 56%), while levels among boys remained stable. Intoxication also increased post-pandemic, from 26% to 29% among girls and from 21% to 24% among boys. Parental permission to drink declined steadily until the COVID‑19 pandemic, increased thereafter, and remained consistently more prevalent among adolescents with low SEP than among those with high SEP. Across all outcomes, alcohol use, intoxication, and parental permission, prevalences were higher in rural than in urban municipalities. Conclusions: Post‑pandemic increases in alcohol consumption, intoxication, and parental permission to drink were observed alongside persistent gender, socioeconomic, and rural–urban inequalities. These findings underscore the need for targeted public health prevention strategies that address both social inequalities and parental practices. Key messages: • After COVID 19, adolescent ever alcohol use and intoxication, increased, with the strongest prevalences observed among girls. • Parental permission to drink alcohol was more prevalent among adolescents with low socioeconomic position and those living in rural areas.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -