Some Adolescent Behaviors a Cause For Concern According to new research by the Institute for Adolescent Risk Communication of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of
Pennsylvania, over half of 14-18 year old boys (54 percent) report that they have gambled for money. Only 16 percent of adolescent females report having ever gambled.
"The possibility that the
Internet is hooking boys on gambling should be a cause for social concern," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and Dean of the Annenberg School for
Communication. "Gambling not only can be addictive, but it also tends to go along with other problem behaviors."
Among other behaviors such as alcohol use, cigarette use, and failure to use
seat-belts, the difference between girls and boys was less dramatic. While boys were more likely than girls to have tried marijuana (29 percent vs. 19 percent), the disparity between boys and girls
having ever gambled was almost two to one.
While only seven percent of 14-18 year olds reported having gambled on the Internet, the proportion is higher than the 1 percent to 2.7 percent found in
previous studies. In addition, adolescent males were twice as likely as females to gamble on the Internet, with one in ten boys reporting having gambled on the Internet in an average month.
Selected findings:
| Have you ever gambled for money, such as playing the lottery
or betting on sports or a game of skill? |
| | Male (%) | Female (%) | Total (%) |
| At least once | 33.0 | 11.0 | 22.2 |
| Past 30 days | 21.1 | 5.0 | >13.2 |
| Never | 45.9 | 84.0 | 64.5 |
| In an average month, do you ever gamble on the
Internet? |
| | Male (%) | Female (%) | Total
(%) |
| At least once a week | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Less
often | 9.2 | 4.0 | 6.6 |
| Never | 89.9 | 95.5 | 92.6 |
| Have you ever done any of the following? |
| Male (%) | Female (%) | Total (%) |
| Smoked Cigarettes |
| Never | 63.5 | 61.7 | 62.6 |
| Ever | 33.5 | 38.3 | 37.4 |
| Smoked Marijuana |
| Never | 71.2 | 80.5 | 75.7 |
| Ever | 28.8 | 19.5 | 24.3 |
| Ride in Car w/o Seatbelts |
| Never | 24.5 | 24.0 | 24.3 |
| Ever | 75.5 | 76.0 | 75.7 |
| Had a drink Of Alcohol |
| Never | 36.1 | 33.5 | 34.8 |
| Ever | 63.9 | 66.5 | 65.2 |
| Gambled for Money |
| Never | 45.9 | 84.0 | 64.5 |
| Ever | 54.1 | 16.0 | 35.5 |
| Please think about popular young men (women) in comparison to men (women) who are not popular. Would the popular person be more likely, about as, or less likely than
others to...? |
| | Male(%) | Female (%) | Total(%) |
| Smoke Cigarettes |
| Popular Kids More Likely | 38.5 | 41.0 | 39.7 |
| Popular Kids Less Likely | 29.3 | 17.0 | 23.3 |
| Smoke Marijuana |
| Popular Kids More Likely | 41.8 | 42.6 | 42.2 |
| Popular Kids Less Likely | 26.0 | 16.3 | 21.2 |
| Ride in Cars w/o Seatbelts |
| Popular Kids More Likely | 45.7 | 45.5 | 45.6 |
| Popular Kids Less Likely | 11.5 | 8.5 | 10.0 |
| Drink Alcoholic Beverages |
| Popular Kids More Likely | 51.0 | 62.5 | 56.6 |
| Popular Kids Less Likely | 15.9 | 9.0 | 12.5 |
| Gamble for Money |
| Popular Kids More Likely | 41.8 | 28.4 | 35.2 |
| Popular Kids Less Likely | 18.3 | 30.3 | 24.2 |
Survey was conducted nationally by Shulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas, Inc. from March 3 to April 6, 2003 using random digit
dialing telephone procedures. Respondents included 408 youth between the ages of 14 and 18. Interviews with youth under the age of 18 were conducted with parental permission. Results are weighted to
match current population estimates provided by US Census Bureau for race/ethnicity, gender and region of the country. The margin of error for reported lifetime Internet use is +/-2.6%. Margins of
error for larger percentages are no greater than +/-5.0%.
You can find a pdf with more information here.