Contents

Too Smart To Start SmartSTATS: a Data Book

What do we know about their parents?

Characteristics of Parents of Children under Age 19

Parents of children under age 18 are from varied backgrounds.

• Thirteen percent have not graduated from high school, 31 percent have a high school diploma, and the rest have had one or more years of college education. (FERRET)
• Four out of every five parents (82 percent) are married, 10 percent are divorced or separated, and 8 percent have never been married. (FERRET)
• More than three in four (78 percent) of them are employed, 4 percent are unemployed, and 18 percent are not in the labor force. (FERRET)

Parents want to be involved in their children’s lives.

• Nearly all mothers (94 percent) report talking to their children about school. (Yankelovich)
• Seventy-eight percent of mothers of 9-to 11-year-olds and 69 percent of mothers of 12- to 17-year-olds report that their families eat dinner together. (Yankelovich)
• Sixty-seven percent of parents believe that they are better parents than most parents they know are. (Yankelovich)

Parents’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Children’s Alcohol Use

Parents may underestimate both their ability to shape their children’s behavior and the risks associated with underage alcohol use. (SAMHSA)

• Despite evidence to the contrary, many parents feel they have little influence over their children’s decisions, specifically those pertaining to alcohol use.
• Some parents don’t know how to communicate effectively with their children or what specific actions they can take to prevent alcohol use.
• Parents tend to underestimate the vulnerability of their 9- to 11-year-olds to alcohol-related problems and the harms associated with underage alcohol use.
• Only 5 percent of mothers of 9- to 11-year-olds view keeping their children away from alcohol as a major challenge.

Only some parents are talking to their children about alcohol.

• Nearly all mothers of 9- to 11-year-olds (92 percent) believe that they can talk to their child about almost anything. (Yankelovich)
• Sixty-seven percent of mothers of 9- to 11-year-olds and 76 percent of mothers of 12- to 17-year-olds talk to their children about drinking. (Yankelovich)
• Mothers are more likely to talk to their children about their friends, drugs or smoking than about drinking. (Yankelovich)
• Forty-six percent of mothers of 9- to 11-year-olds and 60 percent of mothers of 12- to 17-year-olds report that keeping their children away from drugs and alcohol is a challenge that parents face. (Yankelovich)

A qualitative study suggests a leniency in parents’ attitudes toward alcohol use. In that study it was found that parents:

• Expect that their children will try alcohol; however, they assume that their children’s alcohol use will not become habitual. (MADD)
• Appear comfortable with alcohol use as a rite of passage for teenagers; therefore, their approach is not to condemn the act, but rather to advocate responsible drinking. (MADD)
• Perceive drug use to be more of a threat to their children’s well-being and, thus, are more concerned about drugs than alcohol. (MADD)