Research & Resources

Monitoring the Future is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of Americans from adolescence through adulthood. Each year, approximately 50,000 students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade are surveyed (12th graders since 1975, and 8th and 10th graders since 1991). Researchers also send annual follow-up questionnaires to a sample of each graduating class for a number of years after their initial participation. The survey documents students’ perception of harm, disapproval of use, and perceived availability of alcohol and other drugs. The survey results are released the same year the data are collected. In 2022, the survey results found the percentage of adolescents reporting substance use largely held steady, after a significant decline in 2021.

This report, “Monitoring the future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2022: Secondary school students,” was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).