This report from the Sun gives some credibility to the notion that continental Europe dwellers are particularly refined. Compared to France, Germany, etc., UK 15-year-olds were more likely to get drunk and have underage sex. Sources quoted blame a disconnect between parents and their children, and this sounds plausible.

One thing the article doesn’t cover, however, is how these trends break down within the UK. It mentions that Scotland teens spend more time with their peers, but it doesn’t give that statistic for the other trends. I wonder how much this has to do with the UK’s “white trash” segment — the terms “redneck” and “cracker” actually originated there, not in the US.

And as Thomas Sowell has argued, the Scots-Irish can be prone to behavioral issues. So, how much of this is due to the UK as a whole, and how much is due to specific cultures within the UK?

Also, though the term “increasing” is used, there is no evidence presented that the UK once did better in this regard. I would guess that, to some degree or another, this trend has been the case for awhile.

Robert VerBruggen blogs at http://robertsrationale.blogspot.com.

Let Others Know About This Post These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • blogmarks
  • del.icio.us
  • Digg
  • Fark
  • Ma.gnolia
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Live
  • YahooMyWeb