MONITORING YOUTH BEHAVIOR IN RESPONSE TO STRUCTURAL-CHANGES - ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES FOR MEASURING ADOLESCENT DRINKING

Random digit dial (RDD) telephone and self-administered school-based s urveys of drinking and drinking and driving were compared for adolesce nts from two Northern California communities. The RDD and school-based surveys resulted in very different samples. The telephone sample cont ained a greater proportion of European Americans and a smaller proport ion of Asian Americans and ''other'' ethnicities. Respondents to the t elephone sample also tended to be older and of higher socioeconomic st atus (SES). The telephone survey captured very few school dropouts. Mo reover it resulted in lower self-reports of drinking and drinking and driving. Survey mode appeared to influence respondents equally, regard less of their gender; age, ethnicity, or SES.