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Abstract
In this article we explore the relationship between education and alcohol consumption.
We examine whether the probability of abusing alcohol differs across educational groups.
We use data from the British Cohort Study, a longitudinal study of one week's birth
in Britain in 1970. We analysed data collected at age 34 (in 2004) and complement
it with information gathered at previous sweeps. Measures of alcohol abuse include
alcohol consumption above NHS guidelines, daily alcohol consumption and problem drinking.
We found that higher educational attainment is associated with increased odds of daily
alcohol consumption and problem drinking. The relationship is stronger for females
than males. Individuals who achieved high educational test scores in childhood are
at a significantly higher risk of abusing alcohol across all dimensions. Our results
also suggest that educational qualifications and academic performance are associated
with the probability of belonging to different typologies of alcohol consumers among
women while this association is not present in the case of educational qualifications
and is very weak in the case of academic performance among males.
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