Monitoring the Future is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults. Each year, a total of approximately 50,000 8th, 10th and 12th grade students are surveyed (12th graders since 1975, and 8th and 10th graders since 1991). In addition, annual follow-up questionnaires are mailed to a sample of each graduating class for a number of years after their initial participation. The Monitoring the Future Study has been funded under a series of investigator-initiated competing research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a part of the National Institutes of Health. MTF is conducted at the
Survey Research Center in the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.

For additional information regarding the Monitoring the Future study, please e-mail us at MTFinfo@isr.umich.edu.

Comments by the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

In this video, NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow discusses the most recent findings from the Monitoring the Future survey.

Recent Publications

Overview of Key Findings, 2011 (PDF, 1,683K) is now available. This volume presents an overview of the key findings from the 2011 survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students.

New 2011 Press Release "Marijuana use continues to rise among U.S. teens, while alcohol use hits historic lows." Text and associated tables and figures are available.

New 2011 Press Release "Decline in teen smoking resumes in 2011." Text and associated tables and figures are available.

National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2010, Volumes I & II are now available. Volume I provides data and trends on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, and Volume II addresses data on college students and adults ages 19-50.

HIV/AIDS: Risk & Protective Behaviors among American Young Adults, 2004-2008 is now available. This volume focuses on the behaviors of young adult high school graduates in the general population ages 21-30 related to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Monitoring the Future: Questionnaire Responses From the Nation's High School Seniors. Monitoring the Future 12th-grade descriptive results for nearly 2,000 items are now available in annual volumes for 1975 through 2010. Comparison between volumes allows readers to understand the changes in viewpoints, attitudes, and experiences of young people over the past 36 years. Questions include drug use and views about drugs, delinquency and victimization, changing roles for women, confidence in social institutions, concerns about energy and ecology, and social and ethical attitudes.

The Education-Drug Use Connection is now available. This book focuses on the fact that adolescents who do well in school are less likely to smoke, drink, or do drugs. It addresses the question: Which comes first -- drug use or school failure? See a description of the book or the related press release.

The 2007 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) is the fourth data collection in the collaborative effort among independent research teams in almost 40 European countries. Modeled after Monitoring the Future, the survey is charged with collecting comparable data on alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among 15- and 16-year-olds. The report compares these data with Monitoring the Future 10th-grade data, with the long-term goal of comparing trends among countries. A summary (PDF, 374K) of the study's results is available. Visit the ESPAD Web site for information on securing the full report.

Copyright 2012 © The Regents of the University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA. Updated: 2 February 2012.