Drug-Related Sentiments among Minority Youth

Abstract

Interviews with a nationwide sample of young and low-income black, chicano, and Caribbean men and women, as well as their nonminority counterparts, reveal that the large majority disapprove of illicit drug phenomena. Of the racial or ethnic groups queried, Caribbean youth are most likely, and white youth are least likely to disapprove. And, although women and older youth are more likely to disapprove than men and younger youth, sentiments do not vary by formal educational attainment or urban/rural backgrounds. Within each group, white men and women are in greatest attitudinal discord, and black men and women are in greatest attitudinal accord. Although one-half of the youth report having had illicit drug experiences, two-thirds of these currently disapprove of illicit drugs and illicit drug users. Even so, youth who have used illicit substances are less likely to disapprove of drug phenomena than those who have abstained or confined their use to licit substances. Despite these findings, interviews with adults who staffed the programs in which the youth were involved, perceived the sentiments to be different than they were reported to us. Accordingly, the conclusion is drawn that young people with the attributes of our respondents may bring a set of drug-related sentiments, cognitions, and behavior to programs which are different than many professionals in the social interventions might expect.