European school survey project on alcohol and other drugs (ESPAD survey)

Alcohol unit – a certain amount of a given alcoholic beverage which contains 10 grams of absolute alcohol. As an example, a unit of alcohol is contained in 250 ml of beer having an alcoholic content of 5–5,3% or 1 glass (120 ml) of wine at 12% abv, or 1 dram (40 ml) of 40% abv spirit.

Being under the influence of alcohol – having consumed at least 6 units of alcohol.

Level of social skills – a relative assessment of an individual’s social acumen.

Regular smoking – smoking on a daily basis (i.e. practically every day), which has lasted continuously for at least one year.

„Drug abuse among schoolchildren“ or ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) is a comparative survey on the use of alcohol and other drugs by European students. The survey is conducted on a quadrennial basis and is co-ordinated by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) together with the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN). Also the Pompidou Group of the Council of European has coordinated ESPAD earlier. The Estonian segment of the survey was conducted on 2015 by National Institute for Health Development and interviewers were Public Health Master's degree students from University of Tartu and researchers from National Institute for Health Development. The survey in 2011 was carried out by sociologists from the Tallinn University’s Institute of International and Social Studies, who have been commissioned by the Estonian National Institute for Health Development. Estonia has participated in the ESPAD survey in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.

The study provides an overview of legal and illegal drug use and the spread of drug addiction as perceived by 15–16 year olds. The purpose of the survey was to ascertain:

1. the experiences and attitudes of students toward the use of legal and illegal drugs
2. factors which impact the use of narcotic substances
3. different substances use by quantities and frequency

The rules for conducting the survey are uniform in all countries. In order to make the data directly comparable, similar questionnaires and methodologies are applied. This enables cross-referencing of data given by school age adolescents in different countries together with tracking of changes in time. The study is conducted simultaneously among youths belonging to the same age group – i.e. 15–16 year old school students. The target birth years for adolescents surveyed in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007 were 1979, 1983, 1987 and 1991 respectively. The students targeted in the 2011, 2015 and 2019 survey were born in 1995, 1999 and 2003 respectively. Students who were enrolled in regular, vocational, general or academic studies were included, excluding those who were enrolled in either special schools or special classes for sudents with learning disorders or vere physical disabilities (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2016). In total, 119 schools, including 85 Estonian and 34 Russian language schools participated in the survey of 2015 and the final number of questionnaires was 2452.

The English language summaries of surveys conducted in previous years together with various comparisons between countries can be accessed via the ESPAD survey official webpage. Also some information about the ESPAD survey can be found on the webpage of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

Tamson M, Vorobjov S, Sokurova D, et al. Cannabis use and associated factors among 15–16-year-old adolescents in Estonia 2003–2019: Results from cross-sectional ESPAD surveys. Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs; April 2021. Article in pdf-format

2019 survey report:
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. ESPAD Report 2019: Results from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union; 2020. Report in pdf-format

2015 survey report:
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. ESPAD Report 2015: Results from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Luxembourg: European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction, European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs; 2016. Report in pdf-format

2011 survey report:
CAN, Pompidou Group. The 2011 ESPAD Report: Substance Use Among Students in 36 European Countries. Stockholm: The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs, Council of Europe, Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs; 2012. Report in pdf-format

2007 survey report:
CAN, Pompidou Group. The 2007 ESPAD Report: Substance Use Among Students in 35 European Countries. Stockholm: The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs, Council of Europe, Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs; 2009. Report in pdf-format

2003 survey report:
CAN, Pompidou Group. The ESPAD Report 2003: Alcohol and Other Drugs Use Among Students in 35 European Countries. Stockholm: The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs, Council of Europe, Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs; 2004. Report in pdf-format

1999 survey report:
CAN, Pompidou Group. The 1999 ESPAD Report: Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among Students in 30 European Countries. Stockholm: The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs, Council of Europe, Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs; 2000. Report in pdf-format

European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) webpage

Sigrid Vorobjov

Department of Risk Behaviour Studies

National Institute for Health Development

E-mail: Sigrid.Vorobjov[at]tai.ee

Updated: 2.03.2023