When do Brits start drinking?
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Vast majority of UK adults say they tried booze well before age 18, with most having partaken by the age of 15.
By Connor Ibbetson, Data Journalist
Whether it’s a pint in the local or a sip of wine with dinner, for many people their first alcoholic drink is a rite of passage. But at what age does this usually happen? And at what age would parents like it to happen?
YouGov RealTime asked how old Britons were when they had their first drink, and the most common answer was age 16 (given by 17% of respondents). But if we look at the cumulative total we can see that half (55%) of Brits had tried alcohol for the first time by the time they turned 15.
Only 9% say they waited until the legal drinking age and, in fact, the vast majority (81%) of adults say they had already tried alcohol by their 18th birthday. One in four (25%) Brits say they had tried alcohol well before legal age, at 13 or younger.
Men are more likely to have tried alcohol at a younger age, with one in five (22%) having tr...
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