W2C-004 Belfast Telegraph 3-4.txt
How the young in Ulster compare Ian McTear

Youngsters in Northern Ireland smoke more, drink less and have been offered drugs more often than their British counterparts.

They also get the largest amount of pocket money in a week - £ 5.20, compared with a UK average of £ 3.62 - and are most likely to put it in the bank.

The snapshot of the lifestyles of the province's youngsters was taken by a survey for The Early Times newspaper, involving 200,000 young readers with an average age of 13 nationwide.

It revealed Ulster youngsters were the most likely to have been offered drugs (21 pc compared with a national average of 10 pc), were least likely to drink (21 pc compared with 30 pc) but were most likely to smoke (36 pc compared with 18 pc).

Health

There was more bad news on the health front as they were the least likely to say they try hard for a healthy diet (37 pc compared with 24 pc).

They are also unhappiest with their appearance, as only 61 pc were happy with theirs, against a national average of 69 pc.
On the family front they were the most likely to put their parents in a home (43 pc compared with 29 pc).
This may be connected to the fact that the youngsters came bottom as far as hugs were concerned, as 57 pc said their parents hugged them compared with a national average of 70 pc.

Couple

Traditional values still hold sway as 86 pc of Ulster youngsters thought it was important for a couple to marry before having children, when the national average was 72 pc.

They were also the most likely to say Dad would not make a good job of being a housewife and should be out at work (57 pc compared to 38 pc).

They were also the most likely to say the Government does not care about education (92 pc compared with 66 pc).
