Answer to Question 1
Autonomy; unsupervised socialization
Answer to Question 2
About 45,000 students located in 433 secondary schools participated in the study.
The most recent MTF survey in 2009 indicates that, with a few exceptions, drug use among American adolescents has continued to decline from the peak levels reached in 1996 and 1997.
Annual drug use was down by more than one-third (34) for 8th-graders during this time period, while reductions have been somewhat lower for those in the 10th (24) and 12th (14) grades. Drug use peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s and then began a decade-long decline until showing an uptick in the mid-1990s; usage for most drugs has been stable or in decline since then.
Especially encouraging has been a significant drop in the use of alcohol by the youngest children in the surveya 10 drop in annual rates in the last 5 years (from 33.9 in 2005 to 30.3 in 2009) and a 30 drop in the last 10 years (from 43.1 in 2000).
There has also been a continuing decline in cigarette smoking, as well as the use of smokeless tobacco products. According to the study authors, cigarette use in 2009 was at its lowest levels recorded in the life of the MTF survey34 years in the case of high school seniors.
In recent years, a great deal of attention has been paid to the use of prescription-type drugs such as narcotics, tranquilizers, and sedatives among youths. From 2008 to 2009, annual use of OxyContin, a prescription narcotic painkiller, was marginally higher among 12th-graders (from 4.7 in 2008 to 4.9 in 2009), but reached its highest level among 10th-graders: 5.1, which is up 42 from the previous year.
Student views will vary.
Total fertility rates (TFRs) among major regions of the world.
Teenage Pregnancy Rates in Developed Countries
Child Labor Rates and GDP Worldwide
An 1891 cartoon blames immigrants for the ills of American society: anarchy, socialism, mayhem, and
Abortion Rates by State, 2008
Saving Rates by Income Quintile, 2003