NCJ Number
194657
Date Published
November 2001
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This study examined the feasibility and value of a large-scale survey of drug use among adults in the United Kingdom concentrating on the current availability of data in England and including the countries that comprise the United Kingdom, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Abstract
Information on the prevalence of drug use among the adult general population in the United Kingdom is currently provided through the British Crime Survey (BCS) in England and Wales and other similar surveys in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with its main limitation related to sample size and restricted sets of questions. This report considered the feasibility of commissioning a major survey of drug use among adults in the United Kingdom. The report itself was divided into three parts: value and feasibility; survey design; and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Governmental departments, organizations, and individuals’ views were sought in the value of a new survey of drug use. The new survey was supported based on the ability to obtain better estimates of the prevalence of drug use. However, several gaps in the current information were identified such as the availability and supply of drugs, the extent to which crimes were committed in support of a drug habit, how drugs were obtained and how much they cost, the relationship between drug use and lifestyle, and attitudes to drugs and to risk-taking. Survey limitations were presented which covered exclusion of those not living in private households, difficulties with response rates, and respondent under-reporting of drug use. A proposed major survey would include: (1) a target population of people aged 16 to 59 living in private households with those aged 16 to 29 being over-sampled by a factor of 2; (2) a design combining data on the prevalence of drug use with data from the BCS for more precise estimates on a national level; (3) the design would be similar to the BCS so the two surveys would allow for some simple analyses; and (4) the cost of the proposed survey could be offset some if a separately funded survey on another topic was carried out at the same time among those aged 60 and over. The questionnaire would need to cover all illegal drugs and illicit use of substances obtained legally. In addition, in order for data to be useful and not be just a part of a U.K. figure, sample sizes in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland would need to be increased dramatically. References, tables