|
Download More than half of young people in China start drinking before they reach adulthood, despite agreeing that they should wait to become an adult before they do so, a survey has found. The report, conducted by drinks giant Pernod Ricard China and Horizon Research Consultancy Group, looked at drinking behavior among young people in China, and was aimed at promoting the message of responsible drinking. It polled 1,258 people aged 18 to 30, mainly university students and office workers from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu and Xiamen. Though 78.9 percent agreed people should take up drinking only after becoming an adult, just over half actually started drinking when they were under 18. "Young people do not think that underage drinking is improper, and think minors can drink in certain cases, such as when they are accompanied by parents, or just drink a little," said Shen Min, one of the researchers, adding that she thought young people do not recognize the dangers of underage drinking. The survey suggested that Chinese young people understand that responsible drinking means not drinking excessively, not driving after drinking, and not drinking while pregnant. However, only 47.3 percent said responsible drinking should include "minors should not drink". Nearly 42 percent said they had experienced drinking excessively and 71.7 percent have seen their friends drunk. But less than 10 percent of them know the exact meaning of excessive drinking. | 
