Minors find it easy to obtain alcohol, one third get alcohol through a sibling or guardian

26.05.2026 - Obtaining alcohol as a minor is seen as very easy, according to the new Youth culture and substances 2026 survey by the Finnish Association for Substance Abuse Prevention, EHYT ry. At the same time, parents’ attitudes have an increasingly strong influence on young people’s alcohol use. The survey asked young people about their own alcohol use and their attitudes related to alcohol use. A total of 1,890 Finnish young people aged 15 to 29 responded to the online survey.

According to the survey, 73 percent of young people estimate that obtaining alcohol under the age of 18 is very or fairly easy. In 2022, 68 percent considered it easy to obtain alcohol as a minor.

Minors most often get alcohol through friends and acquaintances. Of the respondents aged 15 to 17, 77 percent said they had received alcohol from a friend or acquaintance. One third of respondents said they get alcohol through a sibling or parent. One quarter of respondents mentioned social media as a common way to obtain alcohol.

“The responses from young people show that alcohol is still mainly supplied to minors within their close circle. It is especially worrying that alcohol received from guardians is still common in young people’s experiences,” says Mika Piipponen, expert in preventive substance use work at EHYT ry.

Alcohol is strongly linked to social situations among young people

Young people’s attitudes towards alcohol have become more positive than before. In 2026, 85 percent of young people estimated that alcohol use is common in their own age group, compared with 62 percent two years earlier. In addition, 64 percent of young people estimated that others of the same age have a positive attitude towards alcohol use, while in 2016 the corresponding share was 54 percent.

For young people, alcohol appears above all as a social phenomenon. More than half of young people said they use alcohol for fun, spending time together or feeling part of a group. Young people’s experience of peer pressure has increased particularly strongly: already 55 percent of young people say they use alcohol because others in the group are also drinking. In previous years, only one third of young people mentioned peer pressure as a reason for alcohol use.

“The responses from young people show a contradictory development. Alcohol use is still seen as a very normal part of young people’s social life, although at the same time a large share of young people are making more conscious decisions than before not to use alcohol,” Piipponen says.

Parents’ attitudes and values have an even greater influence

The importance of parents’ attitudes, example and trust is increasingly visible in young people’s choices. Nearly one in three young people said they do not use alcohol because of the family example or parental control, and one quarter because they want to preserve trust. Meanwhile, 12 percent of respondents said they use alcohol because of their parents’ permissive attitudes.

“The results remind us that parents still have a lot of influence over young people’s substance use choices. Young people closely observe adults’ attitudes, and an adult’s negative attitude towards a young person’s alcohol use matters a great deal. The end-of-school weekend for schools and educational institutions is approaching, and for some young people it is still a celebration that includes alcohol. Now is once again the moment when we adults must remember to refuse if a young person asks us to buy it for them,” Piipponen says.

The Youth culture and substances 2026 survey is a survey of young people carried out every two years by the Finnish Association for Substance Abuse Prevention, EHYT ry. The survey examines young people’s attitudes towards substances and related cultural factors. In 2026, the survey was carried out by Taloustutkimus. The study group consisted of 1,890 young people. The survey was conducted nationally as an online survey. The age range of young people in the survey was 15 to 29 years.

EHYT ry’s Hakematta paras campaign challenges adults to reflect on their own role in underage alcohol use. The campaign is active on social media during weeks 21 and 22.