Higher minimum drinking age improves academic performance

Higher minimum drinking age improves academic performance Keystone-SDA

A higher minimum age for alcohol consumption can significantly improve the academic performance and mental health of young people. The reduction in binge drinking in particular has positive aspects, according to a study by the University of Zurich.

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The study analysed four Spanish regions that have tightened their alcohol laws over the past 20 years. The reforms generally included a higher minimum age for consumption, stricter sales rules and new advertising guidelines, the University of Zurich (UZH) wrote in a press release on Tuesday.

The results of the study are also relevant for Switzerland, it said. Here, 16-year-olds are legally allowed to consume beer and wine and the drinking rate among young people is above the EU average.

The findings from Spain suggest that stricter age limits could have educational benefits. For example, raising the minimum age for alcohol consumption from 16 to 18 would be a cost-effective instrument to promote the cognitive development of young people, the authors wrote.

+ Addiction experts warn too many young people buy alcohol illegally in Switzerland

A third of young people drink ‘excessively’

Despite a declining trend, alcohol consumption among European teenagers is still strikingly high in international comparison, they wrote. Almost half of 15- to 16-year-olds in the European School Survey said they had consumed alcohol in the past month, and around 30% reported excessive drinking.

The study by Carmen Villa, assistant professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich, shows that the probability of binge drinking fell by 14% following a tightening of alcohol laws. The decline in binge drinking and alcohol poisoning also leads to considerable educational gains. This is because alcohol impairs cognitive development during adolescence. This is a phase of life in which the brain is particularly sensitive to alcohol, the report continued.

According to the study, mental health also improved in those regions where the legal drinking age was raised. Young people were 10% less likely to take medication for anxiety and insomnia.

The UZH analysis was based on data from around 250,000 students, 180,000 PISA participants and 600,000 people from the 2021 census.

Adapted from German by AI/ts

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