The latest "Youth 2025" study by pollster CBOS and the National Center for the Prevention of Addictions (KCPU) shows a changing pattern of risky behavior among students in the final years of post-primary schools.
Regular smoking of traditional cigarettes has fallen sharply. Last year, 6 percent of students said they smoked regularly, down from 20 percent in 2021.
At the same time, e-cigarettes have become widespread, with 32 percent of young people using them regularly.
Alcohol remains the most common psychoactive substance among Polish youth, although drinking and drunkenness have both declined since the previous survey four years ago.
Drug use has also continued to fall. Nine percent of students said they had used drugs in the past year, continuing a downward trend observed since 2016. Marijuana and hashish remain the most commonly used illegal substances.
Artur Malczewski, deputy director for treatment, research and certification at KCPU, said the results showed that youth risk behavior was changing rather than disappearing.
"The decline in the use of some psychoactive substances is an important signal, but it cannot put us to sleep," he said.
"Alongside alcohol, nicotine and drugs, we increasingly see challenges linked to e-cigarettes, online gambling, problematic internet use, peer violence and mental health," he added.
The survey found that schools remain a place where young people encounter risky behavior.
Almost two-fifths of students said drugs were present in their schools, up from more than one-quarter in the previous survey.
One in two reported alcohol consumption on school grounds, while almost nine in 10 reported cigarette smoking.
School is also increasingly associated with stress and difficult social experiences.
The latest survey recorded the highest level of school-related stress since the issue began being monitored, with girls reporting higher levels than boys.
"More than half of students experienced at least one form of peer violence in the year before the survey," said Daria Litwin of CBOS. "This is a record result since this issue has been monitored."
She added that "the most serious problem is exclusion by the group, which now affects almost two-fifths of respondents."
The mental condition of students in the final years of post-primary education is markedly worse than that of adults overall.
Using the Patient Health Questionnaire-8, a standardized screening tool for depressive symptoms, the survey found that more than two-fifths of students showed moderate or more severe symptoms. That is more than four times the level recorded among Polish adults.
Depressive symptoms were more common among girls, students in difficult economic circumstances, those with poor relations with parents, students without close social relationships, and those experiencing stress or violence at school.
The survey also found links between a higher risk of depression and long hours spent online.
Gambling is another growing concern. More than half of respondents said they had taken part in games involving gambling, with online gambling now the most popular form among teenagers.
Bookmaking and slot-machine games are also becoming more common.
One in seven respondents is now in the high-risk group for gambling addiction, twice the level recorded four years ago.
The problem is especially visible among boys, though risky behavior among girls is also increasing. The survey found that gambling is linked to other risky behavior, including alcohol and drug use.
The "Youth" study has been carried out since the 1990s and covers students in the final years of post-primary schools.
Since 2003, it has been conducted by CBOS in cooperation with KCPU, using the same methodology to track long-term changes among young people.
(rt/gs)
Source: pap-mediaroom.pl