Monitoring the Future

Join our virtual Monitoring the Future @icpsrsummer.bsky.social workshops this summer! The workshops will provide an overview of the MTF Cross-sectional & Panel studies, focusing on the public-use & restricted-use data available from @icpsr.bsky.social & @nahdap.bsky.social
Applications due 4/10

Persistence of loneliness and low self-esteem from adolescence through age 60 in the United States: results from the Monitoring the Future Panel Study - Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Background Depression, loneliness and other psychological distress symptoms are common in the US; lifetime cumulative estimates and life course prospective persistence is under-studied. We use nationa...

Using @mtfstudy.bsky.social data, researchers find depression and loneliness in adolescence predicts later life distress. Intervention and prevention efforts in adolescence are potentially critical for addressing late life mental health problems myumi.ch/qZewg

🚨 The 2026 Jerald and Virginia Bachman Fellowship application cycle closes in just a few days on 2/9. If you are a @umich.edu social science grad student, postdoc or junior faculty interested in using MTF data, we encourage you to apply!

New data alert 📢 The Monitoring the Future Longitudinal Panel Study mortality data is now available. The data file includes confirmed mortality status on Panel respondents from 1976-2021.

Visit our study page at @nahdap.bsky.social for more info: myumi.ch/79DN9

The real world impact of ISR research: Richard Miech In this video, Richard Miech, research professor in the Survey Research Center and the Principal Investigator of the Monitoring the Future (MTF) main study, discusses recent trends in adolescent drug ...

What teens think their peers are doing can shape their behavior.

ISR researcher Richard Miech explains how @mtfstudy.bsky.social data helps schools, families, and communities better understand teen drug use and support healthier outcomes.

Watch now: myumi.ch/P3Rw5

Medical Cannabis Use Across Ages 19–65 Years: U.S. Young and Middle Adults, 2018–2023 This study provides national data on cannabis use type (medical versus recreational only) across individuals aged 19–65 years and associations with ov…

New #MonitoringtheFuture research in @ajpmonline.bsky.social on medical cannabis use, ages 19–65, looked at past-year cannabis type use patterns across young & middle adults. Medical cannabis use was reported by 2.6% of all adults and 9.8% of those reporting past 12-month use.

myumi.ch/15e4J

Reported use of most drugs remains low among US teens For the fifth year in a row, use of most substances among teenagers in the United States continues to hover around the low-water mark reached in 2021.

"For the fifth year in a row, use of most substances among teenagers in the United States continues to hover around the low-water mark reached in 2021."

More results from the #MonitoringtheFuture study released today: myumi.ch/MkGNE

Are you a @umich.edu social science grad student, postdoc or junior faculty interested in using #MonitoringtheFuture data? @umisr.bsky.social has a fellowship for you! The Bachman Fellowship provides support to analyze MTF data on a wide variety of social issues. Apply by 2/9: myumi.ch/A1EDj

It's the first day of #GSA2025! Grab your beverage of choice and check out our full schedule of SRC presentations: myumi.ch/e3dVX

Monitoring the Future Booth 222 November 12-15, 2025 Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting

Headed to #GSA2025 this week? Find us at booth 222 for swag and data! #MonitoringtheFuture

Black & white photo of Jerald Bachman and Lloyd Johnston chatting on a bench. Text: Jerald Bachman. 1936-2025. Jerald Bachman co-founded Monitoring the Future and was the survey's principal investigator until he retired in January 2020. Each year, more than 25,000 8th, 10th and 12th grade students are surveyed as part of the ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of Americans from adolescence through adulthood.

Jerald Bachman passed away on October 31, 2025. Bachman was one of the founding investigators of the @mtfstudy.bsky.social. Founded in 1975, Monitoring the Future is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of Americans from adolescence through adulthood myumi.ch/E8pg6

The Intensity of Adolescent Substance Use Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic Adolescent cannabis and alcohol use declined substantially following the COVID-19 pandemic onset in 2020. This study tests whether substance use “hardened,” defined as an increased proportion of heavy...

#Adolescent #DrugUse declined markedly after the onset of the #COVID19 pandemic in 2020. @mtfstudy.bsky.social’s Richard Miech finds use isn’t yet “hardened” with heavy users & #prevention programs have the potential to reduce teen drug use further myumi.ch/A1mXQ

Multivariate associations between passion, coping motives, and substance use outcomes in college students engaging in simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use Prior studies have demonstrated separate impacts of passion and coping motives on substance use (SU). However, their joint influences on SU outcomes remain unexplored among college students engagin...

Brooke Arterberry et al found that alcohol obsessive passion & coping motives are most associated with greater alcohol-related problems among college students who use both alcohol and marijuana myumi.ch/A1Gr4

Cannabis Commonly Used as a Sleep Aid Among Young Adults Experts warn doing so may worsen sleep quality and raise the risk for substance abuse over time.

Nearly 1 in 5 young adults use cannabis to fall asleep, according to new findings in JAMA Pediatrics.

The study of 19-30 year olds also found 7.2% reported drinking alcohol to induce sleep.

The extent of use was “pretty striking,” said @meganepatrick.bsky.social, who led the study.

Sleep trap: Many young adults use cannabis to fall asleep More than 1 in 5 young adults reported using cannabis or alcohol to help them fall asleep.

New findings from the Monitoring the Future Panel Study, led by @meganepatrick.bsky.social, show that 22% of U.S. young adults aged 19-30 reported using cannabis or alcohol to help them fall asleep.
myumi.ch/n196r

Historical trends in young adult solitary alcohol use by age and sex from 1977 to 2022 Solitary drinking is linked to alcohol problems, but we know little about how common it is in young adults or how it has changed over time. Using national data from 1977 to 2022, this study found tha...

Research from @mtfstudy.bsky.social finds the prevalence of solitary drinking among young adults - especially young women - has increased to levels on par with 1970s. Because it’s linked to future alcohol use disorder, ongoing monitoring is crucial. myumi.ch/G285q

Serving the Public Interest: Insights & Innovations into the Human Lifespan.

Along with a brand new website - src.isr.umich.edu - we are launching a quarterly newsletter that will share Survey Research Center research, media mentions, and publications. Sign up here: myumi.ch/G2pXR

Cannabis Vaping Surges Among U.S. Youth" over a blurred background photo of teens sitting and vaping near a brick building. A yellow upward-pointing arrow overlays the image. Two yellow pie charts show increases in flavored cannabis vape use among 8th graders: 47% in 2021 and 63% in 2024. The ISR logo appears at the top left. Text at the bottom reads: "Flavored cannabis vapes now dominate use among 8th grade users, MTF study shows.

Flavored cannabis vaping is now the top method of cannabis use among teens.

ISR’s Richard Miech says the shift raises serious public health concerns.

Learn more from Monitoring the Future's latest findings: myumi.ch/g3ExG

Correlations Between Flavored E‐Cigarette Use and Tobacco and Substance Use Among US Youth, 2021 to 2023 Policy Points Menthol-flavored e-cigarettes are disproportionately used by youth who co-use other substances; allowing menthol sales may undermine efforts to reduce poly-tobacco and poly-substanc...

Using @mtfstudy.bsky.social data, Richard Miech & coauthors find correlations between flavored e-cigarette use and tobacco & substance use among US youth. The authors recommend closing regulatory loopholes & implementing bans on flavored e-cigarettes to reduce youth nicotine use myumi.ch/dgqp4

Are you a researcher interested in using #MonitoringtheFuture data? We are committed to providing access to MTF data, including longitudinal data! For more info on data sets, visit the @nahdap.bsky.social data portal to start your MTF data journey!
bit.ly/MTFdatasets @icpsr.bsky.social

The full #MonitoringtheFuture Panel study annual report is now available!

The 2025 report, which focuses on substance use ages 19-65, includes new tables/figures on driving after substance use & substance use disorder.

Monitoring the Future Panel Report: myumi.ch/9p3xX

The percente of young & midlife adults using nicotine pouches significantly increased last year, while cannabis use, vaping & psychedelic drugs are at or near all-time highs, according to the latest data from @umisr.bsky.social's Monitoring the Future. myumi.ch/VVn4x h/t @meganepatrick.bsky.social

Nicotine pouch, cannabis, vaping, psychedelic use on the rise among US adults The percentage of young and midlife adults using nicotine pouches significantly increased last year, while cannabis use, vaping and the use of psychedelic drugs are at or near all-time highs, accordin...

“Alcohol continues to be the most commonly used substance across age groups, followed by cannabis and nicotine,” said @meganepatrick.bsky.social

Learn more & explore data on substance use among young adults attending college, as well as those who have not attended college: myumi.ch/154zr

The % of young & midlife adults using nicotine pouches significantly ⬆️ last year, while cannabis use, vaping & the use of psychedelic drugs are at or near all-time highs, according to the latest data via University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future Panel survey. #monitoringthefuture

U.S. Drinking Drops to New Low, Poll Finds

An annual Gallup has been tracking a downturn in drinking since 2023. This coincides with @mtfstudy.bsky.social, which has shown a significant decline in young people's drinking over the last decade www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/w...

“The trends show that the gap between men and women has narrowed,” said co-author Megan Patrick, research professor at U-M’s Institute for Social Research. “There have been increases in solitary drinking among young women, in particular, over the past 25 years. Solitary drinking, or sometimes drinking when they are alone, was reported by about 40% of young adults who drank in the past year.”

A new study from @umisr.bsky.social & @cmu.edu reveals 40% of young drinkers report drinking alone, a pattern linked to significantly higher risk of alcohol use disorder. Solitary drinking is often tied to coping with anxiety & depression, making this a red flag for future harm.
More: myumi.ch/W6Pw5

Solitary drinking has soared among young adults, ⬆️ to rates not seen since the late 1970s.

This trend, found in a #MonitoringtheFuture & @cmu.edu study, is especially evident in young women, shrinking the historical gender gap in this high-risk drinking behavior.

Learn more: myumi.ch/3RmGD

Illustration of prescription drug bottle, pills

New research using #MonitoringtheFuture Panel data finds a strong link between teens' nonmedical use of Rx stimulants (like Adderall or Ritalin) & later cocaine use.

Even experimental use (1–2 times) was linked to ⬆️ risk—highlighting the need for early assessment & intervention.

myumi.ch/9pbw1

Great news! The MTF longitudinal panel data for ages 18-30, including the core and all six form-specific data files are now available! myumi.ch/w9d64

CONGRATULATIONS Inbal Nahum-Shani Megan Patrick Collegiate Research Professorships Office of the Vice President for Research

The Office of the Vice President for Research will award Inbal Nahum-Shani & @meganepatrick.bsky.social‬ with Collegiate Research Professorships for their exceptional scholarly achievements and advanced knowledge in their field myumi.ch/3RME9 @mtfstudy.bsky.social‬ @d3center.bsky.social‬