ABC News/Washington Post Drug Poll, February 1997 ABC News The Washington Post attitudes alcohol abuse communication drinking age drug education drug use marijuana parental attitudes parent child relationship peer influence school violence substance abuse ICPSR.XVII.E ICPSR.XIV.C.1 This special topic poll, conducted February 20-24, 1997, solicited responses from parents and their teenage children, aged 12-17, on the topic of illegal drug use among America's youth. One parent and one child from each household were asked a series of questions covering illegal drugs, violence in school, underage drinking, academic challenges, and parent-child communication. Respondents were asked to assess their understanding of the presence of drugs and drug users in their local schools, throughout the community, across the nation, among the teen's peer group, and within their own family. A series of topics covered the availability and effectiveness of school-sponsored anti-drug programs. Parents were asked how their possible past and present use and/or experimentation with marijuana and other illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products influenced the manner in which they approached drug use with their own children. Teenage respondents were asked for their reaction to the use of drugs and alcohol by their friends, the seriousness of the contemporary drug problem, and whether they believed that their parents had used or experimented with illegal drugs. Other questions asked about teenage respondents' plans after high school and whether they attended a public or private school. Demographic variables for parental respondents included age, race, sex, education level, household income, political party affiliation, and type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural). Demographic variables for teenage respondents included age, race, sex, residential area, and grade level in school. 2008-04-04 survey data 2175 10.3886/ICPSR02175.v3 United States 1997-02 ICPSR metadata records are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/).