TABLE 3. Percentage of high school students who currently drank alcohol or were binge drinking and percentage who strongly agreed or agreed that they drank more alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic than before it started,* by selected characteristics — Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021.
| Characteristic | Current alcohol use† |
Current binge drinking§ |
Drank more alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic¶,** |
|---|---|---|---|
| % (95% CI) | % (95% CI) | % (95% CI) | |
|
Sex
| |||
| Female |
22.4 (18.5–27.0) |
9.5 (6.6–13.5) |
27.8 (24.6–31.3) |
| Male |
16.4 (14.3–18.7) |
5.9 (4.6–7.6) |
31.9 (28.1–36.0) |
|
Race and ethnicity
| |||
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic |
20.5 (12.7–31.5) |
5.8 (3.0–11.0) |
14.5 (6.7–28.7) |
| Asian, non-Hispanic |
14.9 (10.0–21.8) |
1.8 (0.9–3.6) |
30.3 (22.0–40.1) |
| Black, non-Hispanic |
11.0 (8.6–13.9) |
2.4 (1.3–4.3) |
17.5 (12.5–23.9) |
| Hispanic or Latino (all races) |
16.5 (12.9–20.8) |
5.0 (3.4–7.2) |
23.6 (19.1–28.7) |
| Multiracial, non-Hispanic |
22.1 (16.7–28.6) |
8.5 (6.0–11.7) |
34.0 (25.9–43.2) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic |
—†† |
— |
— |
| White, non-Hispanic |
23.5 (19.4–28.3) |
11.2 (8.1–15.1) |
33.6 (30.1–37.4) |
|
Grade
| |||
| 9 |
12.9 (9.9–16.6) |
4.6 (2.5–8.2) |
28.6 (22.6–35.6) |
| 10 |
17.1 (14.0–20.8) |
5.3 (3.5–7.8) |
29.6 (25.0–34.7) |
| 11 |
21.7 (18.2–25.7) |
9.6 (7.5–12.2) |
28.4 (23.6–33.8) |
| 12 |
27.2 (23.8–30.9) |
12.1 (9.5–15.2) |
31.3 (26.3–36.7) |
|
Sexual identity
| |||
| Heterosexual |
18.8 (15.6–22.5) |
7.8 (5.6–10.8) |
29.8 (26.4–33.4) |
| Gay, lesbian, or bisexual |
26.4 (22.1–31.3) |
9.0 (6.5–12.5) |
31.6 (25.7–38.3) |
| Other or questioning |
20.1 (15.1–26.4) |
7.5 (4.8–11.7) |
24.5 (18.7–31.6) |
|
Instructional model of school
| |||
| In-person only |
24.2 (12.9–40.8) |
10.1 (5.0–19.1) |
28.9 (14.3–49.8) |
| Virtual only |
13.5 (10.7–16.8) |
3.8 (2.5–5.9) |
26.3 (22.0–31.2) |
| Hybrid |
21.3 (18.3–24.7) |
9.0 (6.7–11.8) |
30.5 (27.3–33.9) |
| Total | 19.5 (16.8–22.4) | 7.7 (5.9–10.1) | 29.6 (26.9–32.5) |
* Weighted percentages. See Table 1 for variable definitions.
† Pairwise t-tests indicate significant differences (p<0.05) between the following subgroups of students: female versus male; non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native versus non-Hispanic Black; non-Hispanic Asian versus non-Hispanic White; non-Hispanic Black versus non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic multiracial; non-Hispanic White versus Hispanic; grade 9 versus grades 10, 11, and 12; grade 10 versus grades 11 and 12 grades; grade 11 versus grade 12; heterosexual versus gay, lesbian, or bisexual; and hybrid versus virtual.
§ Pairwise t-tests indicate significant differences (p<0.05) between the following subgroups of students: female versus male; non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native versus non-Hispanic White; non-Hispanic Asian versus non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic multiracial; non-Hispanic Black versus Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic multiracial; Hispanic versus non-Hispanic multiracial and non-Hispanic White; grade 9 versus grades 11 and 12; grade 10 versus grades 11 and 12 grades; and hybrid versus virtual.
¶ Among students who had ever drunk alcohol.
** Pairwise t-tests indicate significant differences (p<0.05) between the following subgroups of students: non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native versus non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic multiracial, and non-Hispanic White; non-Hispanic Asian versus non-Hispanic Black; non-Hispanic Black versus non-Hispanic multiracial and non-Hispanic White; Hispanic versus non-Hispanic multiracial; and non-Hispanic White versus Hispanic.
†† Dashes indicate that results are suppressed because n<30.