Underage Drinking and Antisocial Behaviour: Research to Inform a UK Behavioural Intervention

This study aimed to identify and describe the motivators for underage, curbside drinking leading to antisocial behavior and to use these insights to develop a suitable intervention to tackle this. A cross-sectional study was conducted with youths and key stakeholders. “Street drinking” was identified as the most common recreational activity for youths and was motivated by a lack of appropriate leisure services, peer pressure and behavior, and the local accessibility of alcohol. Antisocial behavior was a major theme associated with street drinking. Few studies have examined the root causes of youth drinking and antisocial behavior. Our findings show that deprivation, social bonds, and the symbolic capital attached to alcohol along with its relative cost and availability enhance its appeal to the young, and provide some illumination to the relationship between these related problems.