经济学人｜年轻人的放纵行为持续减少

International  
国际
Gen ZZZ
睡眠中的Z世代
Straighter Edge
更自律
Youthful excess continues to decline
年轻人的放纵行为持续减少

In september the Night Time Industries Association, a British trade group, issued a sobering press release. Since 2020, it revealed, 37% of Britain's nightclubs had closed. Many shut during the pandemic and never reopened, but closures continue. If clubs do not stop closing, the ntia predicted, by the end of the decade there will be almost nowhere left for Britons to get drunk, belt out "Mr Brightside" and then vomit in a gutter on the walk home at 2am.

Higher labour costs, tighter planning laws and more noise complaints are probably all playing their roles. But a key explanation is that their chief audience, the reckless young, are staying at home. Between 2011 and 2021, the proportion of British 16- to 24-year-olds who had not consumed one alcoholic drink in the past year doubled, from 19% to 38%. Another survey, of children aged between 11 and 15, found that, in 2021, 60% had never even tried a drink (two decades before, the figure was 39%). No wonder nightclubs are struggling.

The trend towards youthful sobriety holds true for much of the rich world. In 2024 illicit drug use among adolescents dropped to historical lows in America, according to a nationwide survey published on December 17th by the University of Michigan. Drinking fell, too. The researchers found that even cannabis use is now declining fast among the young, despite weed having been made legal in almost half of states over the past decade. European surveys show continuing drops in drug and alcohol use too.

Why is youthful excess dying out? There is no single explanation. Children are more closely watched than in the past, and a higher share of young adults are from more abstemious immigrant cultures. Age id checks at bars are more common; Netflix and Fortnite are cheaper than cider; and dating apps are better than finding love on the sticky floors of a place called "Snobs". The trend is clear and seems likely to last. It's their parents who are the problem now.


词汇表
straight edge [streɪt] 自律、健康、避免过度放纵的生活方式
youthful excess [ˈekses] 年轻人的放纵行为
sobering [ˈsəʊbərɪŋ] 令人警醒的；使人冷静的
nightclub [ˈnaɪtˌklʌb] 夜店，夜总会
closure [ˈkləʊʒə(r)]（永久的）关闭，倒闭
belt out [belt] 引吭高歌，大声唱
vomit [ˈvɒmɪt] 呕吐，吐出
gutter [ˈɡʌtə(r)]（路边的）排水沟；贫民区
reckless ['rekləs] 鲁莽的，肆无忌惮的
alcoholic drink [ˌælkəˈhɒlɪk] 酒精饮料
sobriety [səʊˈbraɪəti] 节制，清醒，未醉
hold true 保持有效，仍是真的，适用
illicit drug use [ɪˈlɪsɪt] 非法吸毒行为，违禁药物使用
cannabis ['kænəbɪs] 大麻，大麻制品
weed [wiːd] 大麻，大麻制品；烟草
die out 逐渐消失，灭绝
abstemious [əbˈstiːmiəs]（对美食或饮酒）节制的，戒绝的
immigrant ['ɪmɪɡrənt] 移民的；移民
Age id check 年龄身份检查（用于购买酒精、烟草或进入限制年龄的场所时）
cider [ˈsaɪdə(r)] 苹果酒，苹果汁
sticky ['stɪki] 粘糊糊的
snob [snɒb] 势利的人，爱虚荣的人

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