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Report on Do You Just Say No?
Smart girls decide for themselves™.
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We often think that "everyone is doing it" when it comes to people’s alcohol, cigarette, and drug use. We asked SmartGirls about their experiences with drinking, smoking, and doing drugs. All of the answers are anonymous and we appreciate your trust. These responses will never have your name attached to them. It is important to get real data from real people, so check out what everyone had to say!
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Girls vs. Boys
There were 536 girls and 12 boys that took this survey, and 10 people that chose to remain annonymous.
First is the worst? Second is the best? Where did that saying come from anyway?
Well there isn't a birth order that is the best, but we still wanted to know where SmartGirls taking this survey fell along the birth order rankings. Of all the people that responded to this survey 206 were the oldest, 102 were a middle child, 166 were the youngest, 65 were only children, and 19 chose not to answer. Looks like most of the people taking this survey are the oldest in their family (well, obviously not including the parents!!).
Where are you from?
There were tons of different places that SmartGirls took this survey from, but some really interesting ones that we came across were: Croatia, Isreal, Scotland, and Slovenia! It's so awesome that we can get opinions from girls (and guys!) from all over the world! Neat!
Hometown Heros?
Well, we don't know if any of you are hometown heros, but we did want to know what your hometown is like. Our reponses showed the following: big city (106), suburb (117), town (175), village (43), rural area (58), and 59 chose not to respond.
What's your background?
There are so many people out there and we wanted to know if you identified with any specific racial or ethnic group. From the responses we found that 42 said African, 29 identified as Asian, 216 Europeans, 30 Latino/as, 7 Middleeasterners, 24 North Americans, 3 Pacific Islanders, and 61 multi-racial. Be proud that we're all so diverse and can meet here and put that all aside to express ourselves!
Age
This graph below shows that the average age of SmartGirls is 13. Here is a breakdown of the ages in percentage form:
Age 7: 0.18%
Age 9: 1.66%
Age 10: 4.81%
Age 11: 12.57%
Age 12: 16.82%
Age 13: 22.74%
Age 14: 14.6%
Age 15: 9.43%
Age 16: 7.58%
Age 17: 5.73%
Age 18: 1.29%
Age 19: 1.11%
Age 20: 0.18%
Age 21: 0.37%
Age 22+: 0.92%
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| Age |
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We asked SmartGirls if they have ever had even one puff of a cigarette and 116 said "yes", but the majority (436) said "no". That means that roughly 80% have not ever tried smoking before, and that's a good thing! Smoking is bad for your health, teeth, and lungs!
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| Have Taken a Puff of a Cigarette |
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So how many times a month do you smoke cigarettes? Well according to our data, 16 SmartGirls said 7+ times per month, 4 people stating 5-7 times per month, 7 people stating 3-5 times per month, 19 people said 1-3 times per month, and 496 said ZERO times!
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Alcohol is found in beer, wine, wine coolers, and liquor. We wanted to know if any SmartGirls have ever had more than a taste of alcohol. We found that 250 said "yes" , while 298 said "no". Almost an even split, but the graph below shows that more people have NOT had more than a taste of alcohol before.
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| Have Taken a Drink of Alcohol |
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After asking whether anyone taking this survey had ever had more than a taste of alcohol, we wanted to know how often each month he/she drank. Here's what SmartGirls said:
0 times per month: 400 responses
1-3 times per month: 115 responses
3-5 times per month: 17 responses
5-7 times per month: 7 responses
7+ times per month: 13 responses
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As you can see in the graph below, there are 501 one girls that have not ever smoked pot and 46 that admitted that they have. We're not going to be judgmental of anyone, but we want to point out that marijuana is against the law for people of all ages. If caught with marijuana serious drug charges (for a minor or adult) can occur.
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| Smoked Pot |
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So after asking if you have ever smoked pot or not, we wanted to see what the frequency of your smoking habits were. We got the following responses: 0 times (524 responses), 1-3 times per month (11 responses), 3-5 times per month (3 responses), 5-7 times per month (1 response), and 7+ times per month (10 responses). These results can help us infer than although some people have tried smoking pot before, it does not mean that they will continue doing so. That can be seen by the 524 responses that report that they smoke pot zero times per month, compared to the 501 people who claimed that they never smoked pot ever. Congrats for kicking that bad habit!
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From the graph below we can see that most SmartGirls (514) have not used any other types of drugs. There were 32 that stated that they did use other drugs before. Some examples of other drugs are: ecstasy, speed, heroin, morphine, cocaine, crack, and high quantities of valium or other prescription pain killers. Drugs are deadly and getting involved with them will only send you into a downward spiral. Be careful!
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| Used Other Drugs |
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The table below gives us a brief outline of SmartGirls' per month "other drug" usage. As you can see, 95.46% of SmartGirls do not use other drugs on a monthly timeframe. Good for you guys! If you have friend that do have this habit, help them. There are adults to talk to and programs you can enroll yourself or a friend into that will help kick the drug habit.
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| Per Month "Other Drug" Usage |
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count | percent |
Month Drugs
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| 0 times |
526 | 95.46 |
| 1-3 |
14 | 2.54 |
| 3-5 |
3 | 0.54 |
| 5-7 |
1 | 0.18 |
| 7+ |
7 | 1.27 |
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So besides finding out if SmartGirls smoked, drank, or did drugs, we wanted to find out who they were doing these things with. Our data shows that the majority do not do any of the above (393 responses), but the second place answer was doing it with their friends (97 responses). There were 21 people that said they did it with their parents, 4 that did it with their siblings, 6 people saying they did it with family friends, 2 responding that they did it with older peers, 12 that did it alone, and 15 that picked "other".
Would different friends have made a difference?
We asked SmartGirls, "Would you have started drinking/smoking/doing drugs if you had different friends?" From the graph below, there were 107 people that answered "yes". That means those 107 people may not have tried drugs if they were with different friends. However, there were 422 that stated the answer "no", which we can translate into being that they would have done it regardless who they were with.
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| Would Different Friends Have Made a Difference? |
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Have you ever felt any pressure to drink/smoke/do drugs?
When we asked SmartGirls if they ever felt any pressure to do drugs, smoke, or drink, we found that the majority have not felt any pressure (448 responses), while 94 people said that they did indeed feel pressure to do these things.
Who pressured you the most?
There are many different influences in our lives in which can pressure us. There were 406 people that said they received pressure from no one, and 19 people that did not fit any of the categories that we gave them so they chose "other". But when it comes to drinking, doing drugs, or smoking though, most SmartGirls reported that their friends pressured them the most (71 responses). The next pressure SmartGirls had to face was the pressure from themselves (16 responses), older peers (11 responses), parents (4 responses), and family friends (1 response). Surprisingly no one reported that a sibling pressured them into doing anything. That is great news... keep showing all of your siblings, whether they are young or old, a good example! And if you are an only child, make sure to set a good example for your close friends!
What did you do as a result of being pressured?
So we know that pressures occur, and we know the main people that it comes from, but if you were pressured (400 reported that they were not pressured), what did you do? There were 40 people that said that they did try out drinking/smoking/doing drugs, 88 people that said they did not fold under pressure, 17 that admitted ridiculing the people that pressured them.
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| Results of Being Pressured |
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First we wanted to know if a friend of yours has ever missed school because of drinking/smoking/doing drugs. Here is the breakdown of responses that we found:
0 times per month: 378 responses
1-3 times per month: 99 responses
3-5 times per month: 22 responses
5-7 times per month: 5 responses
7+ times per month: 42 responses
Have YOU missed school because of drinking/drugs/smoking?
There were 521 of you that said you have never missed school for drinking/drugs/smoking, 10 people that said they had missed school 1-3 times, 3 people saying they missed school 3-5 times, 2 people that missed school 5-7 times, and 7 people missing school for 7 or more days due to drinking/smoking/doing drugs. School is very important, so as you can see, drinking, doing drugs, or smoking is only prohibiting you from learning all taht you can. Even though school might get boring sometimes, school is your ticket to a great future and stellar job!! Don't miss out on a fantastic experience!
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| Days of Missing School Due to Drinking/Drugs/Smoking |
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count | percent |
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Missed school
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| Never |
521 | 95.95 |
| 1-3 |
10 | 1.84 |
| 3-5 |
3 | 0.55 |
| 5-7 |
2 | 0.37 |
| 7+ |
7 | 1.29 |
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First we asked SmartGirls if their parents or the adults they lived with ever drank/smoked/done drugs to their knowledge. The responses were shocking that we got! There were 302 people that said "yes", 106 that said "no", 51 that said "I think so", and 75 that said "I don't think so".
Next we wanted to know how often do your parents or adults that you live with drink/smoke/do drugs that you know of? The reponses to this question are listed in the graph below. Here is the numerical breakdown: Daily (145), On weekends (57), Weekly (29), Fortnightly (28), Monthly (27), Yearly (58), and Never (197).
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| How Often Parents/Adults Drink/Smoke/Do Drugs |
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We found out from SmartGirls around the world that there are so many things that have prevented them from wanting to be involved in drinking, smoking, or doing drugs. Below you can see all of the various things SmartGirls are involved in, but at the top of the list is that SmartGirls just had no interest in doing them (325 responses). Check out the table below and see what other SmartGirls put! Remember, in the survey you were allowed to check off as many things that applied to you.
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| Reasons You've Never Smoked/Drank/Done Drugs |
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count | percent |
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Never
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| Health |
268 | 14.53 |
| School |
188 | 10.19 |
| Religion |
108 | 5.85 |
| Fear |
152 | 8.24 |
| No interest |
325 | 17.62 |
| Parents |
198 | 10.73 |
| Friends |
170 | 9.21 |
| Sports |
114 | 6.18 |
| Instrument |
77 | 4.17 |
| Singing |
106 | 5.75 |
| I have |
99 | 5.37 |
| Afterschool activity |
3 | 0.16 |
| Morals |
13 | 0.7 |
| Money |
2 | 0.11 |
| want to live |
8 | 0.43 |
| Bad |
7 | 0.38 |
| responsibilities |
2 | 0.11 |
| other |
5 | 0.27 |
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This question gave us an insight of the influential people or things in your lives that influenced you to NOT do drugs, smoke, or drink. Parents are a definite frontrunner in the crusade to make sure their kids don't do drugs, smoke, or drink (17.87% SmartGirls reported this). Another influential group was friends (13.29%), teachers (12.73%), and administrators (8.34%). It's great to hear that people in authority are having influence on this important topic.
But when it comes to information, we know from the last question who is influential, but now we want to know who gave you the BEST information about drinking, smoking, and drug use. It turns out that parents are not only the most influential to SmartGirls, but they have also provided the best information (146 responses). In second place were teachers (125 responses). Surprisingly friends were not at the top of the list, they only received 34 votes...maybe that just shows that you shouldn't listen to your friends for everything and that you should trust adults!
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| Best Information |
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If you had a younger brother or younger sister, what would you tell them about drinking/smoking/drug use when she is your age? Everyone gave us some great and interesting answers, but here's a few that we liked:
That it's stupid and can kill you. My little sister wants to be a singer and I'd tell her what it can do to her voice. I'd also tell her how it can kill her.
DON'T DO IT! It'll turn your lungs funny colors, cause heart disease or lung disease or something and then you die. Every cigarette you smoke reduces your life by 5.5 minutes (that's a proven fact I learned!).
I'd tell her about the dangers so that she is informed, but I wouldn't warn her to stay away from them or anything. I'd allow her to make her own choices.
It's just stupid. Why wreck your life? Just write your feelings down in a journal or talk to someone - it works tons better than forgetting about your problems for a while.
Don't be stupid enough to think that it is cool to drink/smoke/do drugs because at the end of the day, you are not going to look cool when you are ill in hospital or even dead. So just think about it.
Don't do it! Others may think it's cool and doesn't to anything to your body, but it does! I'm sorry if it sounds like one of those drug-free commercials, but those commercials are right. It's not cool if you end up like a vegetable because of drugs, smoking, or whatever else you can get yourself into trouble with.
I would say, "If you even pick one up (cigarette) I will be on you like mom and dad would!"
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Have you ever been in trouble (either with police, school administration, parents, etc.) for being drunk/smoking/doing drugs?
There were 328 SmartGirls that reported that they have never done drugs, smoked, or drank before so there is no way that they could get in trouble. There were 165 that said that they have not got into trouble, and 45 SmartGirls that said, "Yes I have gotten into trouble".
Have you ever wished that you could stop drinking/smoking/doing drugs but felt like you couldn't?
This is definitely a tough and scary question to ask because those of you that answered "yes" might be on the verge of forming an addiction if you haven't already discovered it. There were 27 SmartGirls that agreed that they wished they could stop but couldn't. There were 114 that said they have never felt like that, and there are 396 that said they've never done anything like that so there is no way that they would feel like that.
Do you feel as though you have been presented with adequate information about drinking, smoking, and drug use?
So we know that parents are influential and provide us the best information thus far (based on the graphs we showed you above), but what is your overall opinion of the amount of information that you have received? We found that 370 SmartGirls said that they did get enough information, while 157 said that they feel they did not get enough information. Always remember that if you want information, the best way to get it is to just ask! Sometimes people will not come outright and tell you things until you ask, so speak up if you are curious! It is better that you ask and find out answers to your questions rather than sit back wondering what the answer could be.
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| Received Adequate Information |
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Picture this: You walk into the bathroom of your school and you see a good friend of yours smoking a cigarette with another girl who you think is really cool. They ask you to join in. What will you do or say?
I would say, "I can't believe you guys!! You are asking me to join you in killing yourselves!!! NO WAY!!" Then I would walk out and tell an adult.
I wouldn't make a big deal out of it, and I'd just say "No thanks," and do my business. If they continue to ask me, I just walk away. I would however ask my friend if she'd rather do something else like go for a walk around the school or something. If she declines I'll say, "Okay. But when you get in trouble because of those cigarettes, don't expect me to help dig you out. It'll be your own fault."
I'd tell her that I don't want to do it because it's bad for me and that it may not be such a good idea for her to do it either. I'd also tell her I'd be willing to help her quit if she wanted to.
I'd say, "Um, no thanks. I'm not really into that kind of stuff." Then I'd ask to speak to my friend alone and ask her quietly, “What the heck do you think you are doing?!”
What a scenario… I would ask them why they choose to harm themselves. I'd have a big influence on them. Nobody needs preaching, but some people do need a good friend called common sense. I'd assist my friend with gaining that back. Oh, and of course I wouldn't join in with smoking. I really don't think any of my friends would do that though.
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Here is the breakdown of your predicted percentage of SmartGirls that have consumed alcohol before.
0%: 30 responses
1% - 20%: 110 responses
21% - 40%: 131 responses
41% - 60%: 120 responses
61% - 80% : 102 responses
81% - 100%: 48 responses
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| Prediction of SmartGirl Drinkers |
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Here is the breakdown of your predicted percentage of SmartGirls that have smoked cigarettes before.
0%: 33 responses
1% - 20 %: 136 responses
21% - 40%: 142 responses
41% - 60%: 117 responses
61% - 80%: 87 responses
81% - 100%: 28 responses
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| Prediction of SmartGirl Smokers |
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Here is the breakdown of your predicted percentage of SmartGirls that have used drugs other than cigarettes and alcohol before.
0%: 61 responses
1% - 20%: 224 responses
21% - 40%: 127 responses
41% - 60%: 73 responses
61% - 80%: 35 responses
81% - 100%: 24 responses
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| Prediction of SmartGirl Drug Users |
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So as you can see from our results about drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, not EVERYONE is doing them! The majority of the SmartGirls fall in the category that they have NOT done drugs, smoked cigarettes, done other drugs, or drank alcohol.
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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts
with us!
Please remember that all web-based polls
are not scientific because the pollsters cannot randomly select the
respondents to participate in the surveys.
All our surveys are anonymous; check out our privacy
policy. All data copyright 1996-2000.
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