Although fewer students consume alcohol, one in four in higher education remains a “heavy drinker”. University students still drink the most, according to figures from the RIVM, the Trimbos Institute and the CBS statistics agency.
Faculty pubs like PSOR will not be allowed to serve liquor from 1 January 2023. (Photo: Justyna Botor)
According to the figures, around 80 percent of young people drink alcohol occasionally. The data comes from health surveys conducted between 2022 and 2024.
This is six percentage points less than in the previous survey covering 2015/2017. At that time, 86 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 25 said they drank alcohol. University students still drink the most: ninety percent. In higher professional education, the figure is 86 percent, and in secondary vocational education, 74 percent.
However, the proportion of heavy drinkers among young people is hardly declining. In higher professional education, there has even been an increase. Around one in four students in higher education consume at least six glasses (men) or four glasses (women) of alcohol at least once a week.
Long-term and frequent alcohol consumption carries more risks than just a severe hangover: it can lead to damage to the brain or liver, for example. For this reason, at the end of 2018, a number of parties, including the government, educational institutions and even beer brewers, signed the National Prevention Agreement. One of the objectives is to halve the number of students who drink excessively.
Delft alcohol policy
The study also shows that more and more students are adhering to the guidelines for alcohol consumption. According to the 2015 Guidelines for Good Nutrition issued by the Health Council of the Netherlands, the recommendation is: do not drink or drink a maximum of one glass per day. Approximately 25 percent of university students, 31 percent of higher professional education students and 39 percent of senior secondary vocational education students adhere to this.
In Delft, seven student associations signed an alcohol covenant in 2018 with, among others, TU Delft, the municipality of Delft and GGD Haaglanden to reduce alcohol consumption among students, which has been extended by five years until 2023. It includes measures such as offering workshops and expanding the range of non-alcoholic drinks. The parties that signed the agreement also meet monthly for consultation. Since 2023, TU Delft has had a ban on serving alcohol before 5 p.m.
HOP, Naomi Bergshoeff/ Delta, Annebelle de Bruijn
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