Jill's Birth Order and Drinking Study

So11C & 11D, Fall 2001 - 42 Completed Surveys by Oct. 8th.  Thanks for all who took time to take this survey.

 

 

Here is Jill's on-line Survey that many of you took:
 


 

Jill's  Survey

This survey is anonymous.  Please take it only once.

What is your sex?

    Male
    Female


What is your class?

    Freshman
    Sophomore
    Junior
    Senior


How old are you? 
 

What kind of community were you raised in?

    Big City
    Suburb
    Rural


How many brothers and sisters do you have (don't include yourself)? 
 

Do you have any step or half brothers or sisters?

    Yes
    No
What is your birth order?
Only child
First Born
A Middle Child
Last Born

Drinking History

Please fill in the best number for each grade you have reached --  enter a zero when appropriate
Hit the "Tab" key to jump from one box to the next and USE NUMBERS, not letters
Grade in School  -- From 7th Grade through Senior Year in College
(leave blanks for those grades you haven't reached) 
7th  8th  9th  10th  11th  12th  Fresh.  Soph. Junior Senior
How many days a week did you drink in...
How many drinks a week did you have in ...
How many times per month did you get drunk in.... 
How many times per year did you pass out from alcohol in ....

Did your parents allow you to drink during high school?
    Yes
    No


Was your first real drinking experience with an older sib?

    Yes
    No
    Don't have an older sib


Do you think that you might have a drinking problem?

    Yes
    No


What kind of high school did you go to?

    Public
    Catholic/Parochial
    Private


Thanks for your help .... Press the "Send" Button to submit you answers


Here are some tables and graphs to examine. Remember, our goal is to prove or disprove our hypothesis:  Last born children drink earlier and more than first born children.   Middle born children have an intermediate drinking experience.
 

Frequency Tables (how questions were answered)
 
 

Sex
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Male 11 26.2 26.2 26.2
Female 31 73.8 73.8 100.0
Total 42 100.0 100.0

Class in College
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Senior 2 4.8 4.8 4.8
Junior 4 9.5 9.5 14.3
Sophomore 33 78.6 78.6 92.9
Freshman 3 7.1 7.1 100.0
Total 42 100.0 100.0

Age
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 17 2 4.8 4.9 4.9
18 7 16.7 17.1 22.0
19 27 64.3 65.9 87.8
20 3 7.1 7.3 95.1
21 1 2.4 2.4 97.6
22 1 2.4 2.4 100.0
Total 41 97.6 100.0
Missing 99 1 2.4
Total 42 100.0

Kind of Community
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Big City 3 7.1 7.1 7.1
Suburb 36 85.7 85.7 92.9
Rural 3 7.1 7.1 100.0
Total 42 100.0 100.0

Sibs (not including self)
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 0 3 7.1 7.1 7.1
1 13 31.0 31.0 38.1
2 17 40.5 40.5 78.6
3 5 11.9 11.9 90.5
4 2 4.8 4.8 95.2
5 2 4.8 4.8 100.0
Total 42 100.0 100.0

Have step or half sibs
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Yes 3 7.1 7.3 7.3
No 38 90.5 92.7 100.0
Total 41 97.6 100.0
Missing 9 1 2.4
Total 42 100.0

Birth Order
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Only Child 3 7.1 7.1 7.1
First Born 14 33.3 33.3 40.5
Middle Child 11 26.2 26.2 66.7
Last Born 14 33.3 33.3 100.0
Total 42 100.0 100.0

Parents allow you to drink in HS?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Yes 9 21.4 21.4 21.4
No 33 78.6 78.6 100.0
Total 42 100.0 100.0

Older sib initiate your first drink?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Yes 4 9.5 12.5 12.5
No 28 66.7 87.5 100.0
Total 32 76.2 100.0
Missing 0 1 2.4
Don't Have a Sib 9 21.4
Total 10 23.8
Total 42 100.0

Have a drinking problem?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Yes 3 7.1 7.1 7.1
No 39 92.9 92.9 100.0
Total 42 100.0 100.0

Kind of HS attended
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Public 23 54.8 54.8 54.8
Parochial 15 35.7 35.7 90.5
Private 4 9.5 9.5 100.0
Total 42 100.0 100.0

 

All our drinking history data is in the form of numbers  --  so for summary purposes we will simply calculate the "average" or mean response each of those boxes in the "Drinking History" table:
 


Descriptive Statistics
N Mean
Days per week drank in 7 42 .0238
Days per week drank in 8 42 .0714
Days per week drank in 9 42 .29
Days per week drank in 10 42 .76
Days per week drank in 11 42 1.05
Days per week drank in 12 42 1.40
Days per week drank in 13 42 2.31
Days per week drank in 14 39 2.36
Days per week drank in 15 6 2.33
Days per week drank in 16 2 .50
Drinks per week you had in 7 42 .0714
Drinks per week you had in 8 42 .26
Drinks per week you had in 9 42 1.07
Drinks per week you had in 10 42 2.71
Drinks per week you had in 11 42 4.86
Drinks per week you had in 12 42 6.93
Drinks per week you had in 13 42 10.95
Drinks per week you had in 14 39 10.85
Drinks per week you had in 15 6 7.50
Drinks per week you had in 16 2 .50
Times drunk per month in 7 42 .0952
Times drunk per month in 8 42 .12
Times drunk per month in 9 42 .67
Times drunk per month in 10 42 1.60
Times drunk per month in 11 42 2.43
Times drunk per month in 12 42 3.05
Times drunk per month in 13 42 5.57
Times drunk per month in 14 39 4.59
Times drunk per month in 15 6 4.33
Times drunk per month in 16 2 .00
TImes passed out per year in 7 42 .00
TImes passed out per year in 8 42 .00
TImes passed out per year in 9 42 .0238
TImes passed out per year in 10 42 .36
TImes passed out per year in 11 42 .45
TImes passed out per year in 12 42 1.00
TImes passed out per year in 13 42 1.40
TImes passed out per year in 14 38 .63
TImes passed out per year in 15 6 .17
TImes passed out per year in 16 2 .00

Very little drinking went on among respondents in Middle School  -- only 4 of 42 respondents did any, so we will not be able to use that data to test our birth order hypothesis.


There were just 3 "only children" among our respondent so we will exclude them from our birth order analysis.  Our task is to see if there is a birth order connection to when drinking started and the amount of drinking done.  We can simple calculate each of the "means" listed above for each birth order to see if we can spot a relationship.  Do you see any?

Report
Mean 
Birth Order
First Born Middle Child Last Born Total
Days per week drank in 7 .00 .0909 .00 .0238
Days per week drank in 8 .00 .18 .0714 .0714
Days per week drank in 9 .14 .36 .43 .29
Days per week drank in 10 .50 1.18 .86 .76
Days per week drank in 11 .93 1.45 1.07 1.05
Days per week drank in 12 1.57 1.73 1.14 1.40
Days per week drank in 13 2.36 1.91 2.64 2.31
Days per week drank in 14 2.08 2.50 2.62 2.36
Days per week drank in 15 .00 3.00 2.67 2.33
Days per week drank in 16 .00 1.00 .50
Drinks per week you had in 7 .00 .27 .00 .0714
Drinks per week you had in 8 .00 .82 .14 .26
Drinks per week you had in 9 .50 1.55 1.50 1.07
Drinks per week you had in 10 1.71 4.45 2.93 2.71
Drinks per week you had in 11 3.57 7.27 5.29 4.86
Drinks per week you had in 12 5.43 10.55 6.86 6.93
Drinks per week you had in 13 9.00 9.00 16.14 10.95
Drinks per week you had in 14 7.00 11.60 15.77 10.85
Drinks per week you had in 15 .00 2.00 12.00 7.50
Drinks per week you had in 16 .00 1.00 .50
Times drunk per month in 7 .00 .18 .14 .0952
Times drunk per month in 8 .00 .27 .14 .12
Times drunk per month in 9 .64 .82 .71 .67
Times drunk per month in 10 1.50 1.82 1.86 1.60
Times drunk per month in 11 2.50 2.36 2.93 2.43
Times drunk per month in 12 3.64 2.82 3.21 3.05
Times drunk per month in 13 6.14 2.91 7.43 5.57
Times drunk per month in 14 3.85 3.40 6.31 4.59
Times drunk per month in 15 .00 .00 5.33 4.33
Times drunk per month in 16 .00 .00 .00
TImes passed out per year in 7 .00 .00 .00 .00
TImes passed out per year in 8 .00 .00 .00 .00
TImes passed out per year in 9 .00 .0909 .00 .0238
TImes passed out per year in 10 .14 .27 .71 .36
TImes passed out per year in 11 .29 .18 .93 .45
TImes passed out per year in 12 .93 .82 1.36 1.00
TImes passed out per year in 13 .64 1.73 2.21 1.40
TImes passed out per year in 14 .23 .33 1.38 .63
TImes passed out per year in 15 .00 .00 .33 .17
TImes passed out per year in 16 .00 .00 .00

Well, is there a birth order connection?  It seems as if "middle children" might be the heavier drinkers...

We can summarize the high school experience to make the big table above more manageable.  These new "total" variables simply sum up the data for the four high school years:

Report
Mean 
Birth Order
First Born Middle Child Last Born Total
Total Days per Week Drinking in High School 3.1429 4.7273 3.5000 3.5000
Total Drinks per Week in High School 11.2143 23.8182 16.5714 15.5714
Total Times Drunk per Month in High School 8.2857 7.8182 8.7143 7.7381
Total Times Passed Out in High School 1.3571 1.3636 3.0000 1.8333

Not much clear evidence for Jill's hypothesis

Let's take a look at the intervening variable of gender.  We did not have many males in our survey, just 11, and perhaps there were not evenly distributed among all birth orders.  It is also possible that males have different drinking experiences than females.  Let's see:

Birth Order * Sex Crosstabulation
Sex Total
Male Female  
Birth Order Only Child Count 3 3
% within Sex 9.7% 7.1%
First Born Count 2 12 14
% within Sex 18.2% 38.7% 33.3%
Middle Child Count 5 6 11
% within Sex 45.5% 19.4% 26.2%
Last Born Count 4 10 14
% within Sex 36.4% 32.3% 33.3%
Total Count 11 31 42
% within Sex 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

It just so happens that 45.5% of our male respondents were middle children  -- and we found that middle children were the heavy drinkers.  Could our "middle child" finding be a spurious one  --  one that is not real but only reflecting the gender difference, not a birth order difference?
 

Well, do males drink earlier and more often than females?

Report
Mean 
Sex
Male Female Total
Days per week drank in 7 .0909 .00 .0238
Days per week drank in 8 .18 .0323 .0714
Days per week drank in 9 .64 .16 .29
Days per week drank in 10 1.27 .58 .76
Days per week drank in 11 1.55 .87 1.05
Days per week drank in 12 1.91 1.23 1.40
Days per week drank in 13 2.91 2.10 2.31
Days per week drank in 14 3.18 2.04 2.36
Days per week drank in 15 2.67 2.00 2.33
Days per week drank in 16 .00 1.00 .50
Drinks per week you had in 7 .27 .00 .0714
Drinks per week you had in 8 .82 .0645 .26
Drinks per week you had in 9 2.82 .45 1.07
Drinks per week you had in 10 4.55 2.06 2.71
Drinks per week you had in 11 8.91 3.42 4.86
Drinks per week you had in 12 13.27 4.68 6.93
Drinks per week you had in 13 21.91 7.06 10.95
Drinks per week you had in 14 22.55 6.25 10.85
Drinks per week you had in 15 12.00 3.00 7.50
Drinks per week you had in 16 .00 1.00 .50
Times drunk per month in 7 .27 .0323 .0952
Times drunk per month in 8 .36 .0323 .12
Times drunk per month in 9 1.73 .29 .67
Times drunk per month in 10 2.18 1.39 1.60
Times drunk per month in 11 3.00 2.23 2.43
Times drunk per month in 12 3.64 2.84 3.05
Times drunk per month in 13 6.45 5.26 5.57
Times drunk per month in 14 6.45 3.86 4.59
Times drunk per month in 15 5.33 3.33 4.33
Times drunk per month in 16 .00 .00 .00
TImes passed out per year in 7 .00 .00 .00
TImes passed out per year in 8 .00 .00 .00
TImes passed out per year in 9 .0909 .00 .0238
TImes passed out per year in 10 .18 .42 .36
TImes passed out per year in 11 .27 .52 .45
TImes passed out per year in 12 1.00 1.00 1.00
TImes passed out per year in 13 2.73 .94 1.40
TImes passed out per year in 14 .80 .57 .63
TImes passed out per year in 15 .33 .00 .17
TImes passed out per year in 16 .00 .00 .00

Report
Mean 
Sex
Male Female Total
Total Days per Week Drinking in High School 5.3636 2.8387 3.5000
Total Drinks per Week in High School 29.5455 10.6129 15.5714
Total Times Drunk per Month in High School 10.5455 6.7419 7.7381
Total Times Passed Out in High School 1.5455 1.9355 1.8333

It certainly does appear that males do drink differently than females.  What happens, then, to our birth order connection to drinking when we "control" for gender?  Do "middle children" still drink more?  We do not have enough respondents to usefully examine our "big" drinking history table  -- but we can look at our collapsed "high school drinking table" for each of the sexes:
 

Report
Mean 
Birth Order Sex Total Days per Week Drinking in High School Total Drinks per Week in High School Total Times Drunk per Month in High School Total Times Passed Out in High School
First Born Male 4.0000 11.0000 8.5000 .0000
Female 3.0000 11.2500 8.2500 1.5833
Total 3.1429 11.2143 8.2857 1.3571
Middle Child Male 6.8000 39.0000 11.8000 2.0000
Female 3.0000 11.1667 4.5000 .8333
Total 4.7273 23.8182 7.8182 1.3636
Last Born Male 4.2500 27.0000 10.0000 1.7500
Female 3.2000 12.4000 8.2000 3.5000
Total 3.5000 16.5714 8.7143 3.0000
Total Male 5.3636 29.5455 10.5455 1.5455
Female 2.8387 10.6129 6.7419 1.9355
Total 3.5000 15.5714 7.7381 1.8333

This table makes it less clear that there is any birth order connection to drinking...  Some connection might exists for males who are middle children... but female middle children do not look like big drinkers...  So, overall, we have not found much evidence that supports Jill's hypothesis.
 

If there is a "theory" behind Jill's hypothesis, it might relate to parents treating their last-born children in a more relaxed fashion than their first-born children  --  therefore the last-born should be able to drink earlier and more frequently than other birth orders...  Jill did include one question that directly addressed this point:  "Did your parents allow you to drink in High School?"  Here is a "Crosstabulation Table" looking at how each birth order answered this question:
 

Birth Order * Parents allow you to drink in HS? Crosstabulation
Parents allow you to drink in HS? Total
Yes No  
Birth Order Only Child Count 1 2 3
% within Birth Order 33.3% 66.7% 100.0%
First Born Count 3 11 14
% within Birth Order 21.4% 78.6% 100.0%
Middle Child Count 3 8 11
% within Birth Order 27.3% 72.7% 100.0%
Last Born Count 2 12 14
% within Birth Order 14.3% 85.7% 100.0%
Total Count 9 33 42
% within Birth Order 21.4% 78.6% 100.0%

.
Again, we find no confirmation that parents treated their last-born children in a more relaxed fashion with respect to high school drinking...  In fact, that birth order had the fewest lenient parents...