SWYS - 1998 Executive Summary

This report is a joint effort between the school districts of Cassville, Iowa-Grant, Lancaster, Platteville, Potosi, River Ridge and Southwestern, the University Extension Office in Grant County and the School of Family Resources and Consumer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  A total of 2,837 students participated in SWYS.   

The University of Wisconsin-Extension Teen Assessment Project survey was selected to assess teens' perceptions of self, family, school and community; their future aspirations, worries and concerns; financial practices; and their activities, both positive and problematic. 

Special Message for Parents.  Although the results of this survey will no doubt make some parents uneasy, the underlying message is that parents can and do have a big impact on their child's behavior.  When parents believe it is wrong for teens to engage in certain behaviors, communicating that value regarding teenage tobacco use, drinking and sexual intercourse is an important factor in reducing the likelihood that teens will engage in these behaviors.  Communicating consequences for breaking family rules and enforcing those consequences when the rules are broken are also important factors in the effort to reduce negative behaviors in teens as is parental monitoring.  Finally, the level of meaningful communication between parents (both mothers and fathers) and their sons and daughters on issues ranging from personal problems to sexual behavior is lacking according to many of the teens surveyed. 

Teen Concerns.  Getting good grades was the greagrant concern of Grant County teens with more girls concerned than boys.  Approximately one-fourth worry that they might not get a good job when they finish high school and three in ten worry about getting along with parents at home.  Females were considerably more worried than males about being too fat or too thin. 

Alcohol Use.  Fifty-nine percent (59%) of all students have used alcohol at some time, and 33% have used alcohol excessively at least once in the past month.  One in five students have ridden at least once in the past month with a teen driver who was drinking.   

School/Community.  Fifty-two percent (52%) of students enjoy going to school, and 59% feel their school enforces rules fairly.  Older students perceive school a little less positively than younger students.  One-half of 7th graders think their communities have fun things for kids to do.  Older teens are less likely to feel this way.  At every age, females are less likely than males to feel this way. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of teens believe that their parents would not report them if they violated an activity or athletic code. 

Parental & Community Monitoring.  Most parents know where their teen is after school and where their teen is going.  They know the least about the parents of their teen's friends, their teen's plans with their friends and how their teen spends his/her money.  Almost nine in ten teens (87%) who feel their parents are interested in their schooling are getting grades of C or above in their school work.  Half of the teens who parents have an interest in their school work report getting A's and B's.  Teens who are closely monitored by their parents are almost four times less likely to have gotten drunk in the past month than teens who are not closely monitored.  Over three quarters of all teens believe other adults would tell their parents if they saw them drinking alcohol.  

Mental Health Issues.  Approximately one in four teens (24%) surveyed reported having had suicidal thoughts in the past month, and nearly one in five (18%) have made a plan for suicide at some time in their life.  More than one in ten (12%) teens reported having attempted suicide at some time.  Overall, teens most frequently turn to their friends for advice and emotional support.  After friends, teens listed parents as the second most sought source of advice and support followed by a sibling.  One in ten teens reported that they would turn to no one for support or advice if they were having a personal problem. 

Peers & Time.  Fourteen percent of teens spend less than one hour or no time on school work per week.  The majority of teens are employed.  As teens age, the employment rate increases.   Over three-fourths of students (78%) say they are more likely to be positively influenced by real people they know than by TV, sports, or music personalities. 

Teen Sexuality.  Twenty-nine percent (29%) of teens surveyed have had sexual intercourse.  Eighteen percent (18%) of sexually active teens reported never using birth control, while nearly half always use birth control.  Overall, 4% of females have become pregnant and 4% of males have caused a pregnancy.  The number of pregnancies among females increases more than four times from 7th to 12th grade; however, the rate of pregnancy among sexually active teens is much higher for younger teens. 

Personal Safety/Teen Violence.  Personal safety is an issue for many teens.  Nearly half the 10th, 11th and 12th grade females report being sexually harassed from students at school in the past year.  More males than females report harassment from an adult at school.   Females report being forced to do something sexual four times as often as males. One in ten teens reports being a victim of physical abuse by an adult. One in four males report being in a physical fight in the past month.  Almost one in ten teens have been threatened with a weapon on school property in the past year.  Five percent (5%) of males and 2% of females report being currently in a gang. 

HIV Risk Factors.  Over two-thirds of all teens report no behaviors which put them at risk for HIV infection.  Two-thirds of sexually active teens use condoms.  Males are more likely to report the use of condoms than females.  Among sexually active teens, nearly two-thirds are at higher risk for HIV infection.  Fifty-nine percent (59%) of sexually active teens report two or more sexual partners.  Seven percent (7%) of teens report ever having a sexually transmitted disease and 5% report ever sharing a surgical needle. 

Family Relationships.  More than three-fourths of all Grant County teens believe their parents think it is wrong for teenagers their age to smoke cigarettes, 73%  believe their parents think it is wrong for teens their age to drink alcohol and 70% believe their parents think it is wrong for teens their age to have sexual intercourse.  More teens are unsure about their parents attitudes toward teen sex than are unsure about their parent's attitudes toward teen drinking and teen tobacco use.  Teens who are unsure about their parent's attitude toward these behaviors are much more likely to engage in the behaviors than teens who believe their parents think the activities are wrong.   

Teens are much more likely to talk with their mother than their father on a wide range of issues from personal problems to the dangers of drinking and doing drugs, from career and education plans for the future to whether it is okay for teens to have sex.  Approximately one-tenth of teens have run away from home and stayed away over night during the past year.  Four in ten teens say they never or rarely lie to their parent(s) or guardian(s).  According to teens, slightly more mothers (44%) than fathers (38%) usually or always explain the reason for rules. 

Money Matters.  Among the things students worry about regarding money are whether their family has enough money to get by (18%) and about not getting a good job when they finish school (26%). The majority of teens have part-time jobs.  By 12th grade, 78% of all students work although half work 10 hours per week or less.  More boys than girls work and boys are three times more likely to work over 30 hours per week.  Nearly half of all students say they have given money to their parents in order to help out their family and a third say this has happened more than once.  Seventeen percent (17%) of teens who work report weekly income of at least $100.  Thirty percent (30%) of all students say they never budget for regular expenses and 18% say they never save any money. 

Tom Schmitz, Grant/Lafayette County Youth Development Educator
Youth and Agriculture Center P.O. Box 31, Lancaster, WI 53813
Phone: 608-723-2125   Fax: 608:723-4315   
E-mail: thomas.schmitz@ces.uwex.edu