Following its success over the past Academic year, the R U Different team is now planning new programmes with authorities and schools commencing in September.

With over 385,000 pupil responses gathered in 2010-2011, the programme is now the largest Social Norms Survey plus Interventions programme in the UK.

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The R U Different project has unearthed many interesting facts over the past academic year.
Wherever we run the programme one constant does however prevail – that young people really do over-perceive the participation of their peers in risky behaviours.
Take our recent findings from 5 schools in Manchester.

• 89% (9 out of 10) of year 9’s say they never smoke, however perceptions are that 1 in 2 (51%) of their peers are smoking.
• Two Thirds (67%) of year 9s say they never drink alcohol. Perceptions are that 76% DO drink (meaning perceptions are Two and a half times greater than the reality).
• And only 6% said they had ever been offered an illegal drug at school compared to a perception of 40% (almost 7 times the reality).

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