This study aims to identify risk factors associated with gambling engagement and the likelihood of problem behavior, distinguishing by type of gambling activity and examining the impact of online gambling. Data about 85,420 students aged 16 from 33 countries participating in the 2019 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) were analyzed through a three-stage sequential probit model, specifically focusing on four types of activity: lotteries, slot machines, cards, and betting. Furthermore, predicted probabilities were calculated for subsamples of students engaging in different types of gambling activities to explore their influence on the likelihood of problem gambling behavior, conditioned on online gambling involvement. Certain groups, such as males and those with a history of school difficulties, exhibit a higher likelihood of problematic gambling behavior. Online gaming significantly influences adolescent gambling behavior, with slot machines demonstrating the highest predicted probabilities of risky behavior when combined with online gaming. The findings highlight that gambling is quite common among adolescents, and that gamblers and problem gamblers display different profiles, suggesting the importance of targeted interventions and support for vulnerable individuals. Public policies should prioritize the regulation of high-risk gambling activities, particularly slot machines, by enhancing the enforcement of age restrictions and the education on the real odds of winning and potential harms of gambling, particularly among adolescents. It is crucial to foster policies and interventions that address the risks associated with online gambling for this age group.

To understand and assess vaccine reluctance, it is necessary to evaluate people’s perceptions and grasp potential reasons for generic apprehension. In our analysis, we focus on adolescents’ impressions towards anti-vaxxer behavior. The aim of the study is to figure out students’ opinions about vaccine reluctance, connecting possible explanations that motivate anti-vaxxer decisions with common specific personality traits. We further investigate people’s forecasts concerning the evolution of the pandemic. Between 2021 and 2022, we conducted a randomized survey experiment on a sample of high school individuals ($N=395$) living in different Italian regions. At that time, the vaccination campaign had already been promoted for nearly one year. From the analysis, it emerges that vaccinated people (92%), especially males, tend to be more pessimistic and attribute a higher level of generic distrust in science to anti-vaxxers. The results show that family background (mother’s education) represents the most influential regressor: individuals coming from less educated families are less prone to attribute generic distrust and distrust of vaccines as principal reasons for vaccine reluctance. Similarly, those who rarely use social media develop a minor tendency to believe in a generic pessimism of anti-vaxxers. However, concerning the future of the pandemic, they are less likely to be optimistic toward vaccines. Overall, our findings shed light on adolescents’ perceptions regarding the factors that influence vaccine hesitancy and highlight the need for targeted communication strategies to improve vaccination rates.

Background Electronic gambling machines (EGMs) are among the most harmful forms of gambling. Their widespread availability has been linked to increased gambling activity and a rise in harmful gambling. However, it remains unclear whether restricting the availability and accessibility of EGMs is effective in reducing gambling harms at the population level. We investigate those issues by leveraging the natural experiment of the region of Piedmont in northwest Italy, which in 2018 set limits on the location and operating hours of EGMs. Methods Data from the Gambling Adult Population Survey conducted in 2018 and 2022 were combined with information regarding the implementation of the policy in Piedmont municipalities and data on EGMs from the national monopoly holder. Our analysis uses a difference-in-difference design, which is appropriate given that only some municipalities in the region implemented the policy, each setting different operating time limits for EGMs. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to explore possible substitution effects towards bordering regions and online gambling. Results Our findings reveal that policies aimed at reducing the operating hours of EGMs were effective in decreasing harmful gambling behaviour in the population, but only when a minimum daily operational suspension of 11 hours was implemented. No significant effect was observed from setting location limits, and no substitution effect was found. Conclusions While restricting EGM availability can help mitigate harmful gambling, it requires coordinated efforts across different levels of government to ensure uniform policy implementation, along with individual-level policies, such as banning advertising, and consideration of diverse gambling products and online gambling.

The issue of the gender gap in university enrolment is widely investigated, and it is acknowledged that the school-to-university transition tends to be higher for female students than for males. Gender inequalities in access to the higher education system could derive from the persistence and transmission of gender disparities relying on several factors; in particular, in this work, we intend to assess potential gender inequalities in the school-to-university transition, which could be moderated by different students’ socioeconomic conditions or type of high school. Using the integration between two administrative data sources, the INVALSI database and the Anagrafe Nazionale Studenti (ANS) database, our final dataset comprises a total of 420,261 students of grade 13 who graduated in the school year 2018/2019, of which 215,565 are females (51.3%). Among those, 52.6% of all students enrolled in the following 2019/2020 academic year. Our results suggest that the proportion of female students enrolling in university is consistently higher than that of male students, regardless of the type of diploma or the socioeconomic conditions of the family of origin. Nevertheless, the gender disparity in the school-to-university transition is more pronounced among students coming from technical and vocational high schools and among those with low/middle socioeconomic and cultural status, leaving male students with less prestigious backgrounds even further behind.

A key question in the ongoing drug policy debate is whether legalising cannabis leads to an increase in cannabis use. In Europe although no country has yet moved to legalisation, many have decriminalised personal possession. However, some jurisdictions are still discussing increased sanctions or have further strengthened penalties for the possession of illicit substances in order to deter widespread cannabis use. This is the case in Italy, where a law introduced in 2006 and repealed in 2014 de facto criminalised personal drug possession, and a potential increase in penalties is currently being debated as a policy option. Despite the intense public debate surrounding the legal status of cannabis, limited empirical research has been conducted in Europe to assess the population-level effects of drug policy reforms, mainly due to data availability constraints. In this study, we analyse the effect of criminalisation on the age of onset of cannabis use using an unique dataset that combines seven waves (2001–2017) of the nationally representative Italian Population Survey on Alcohol and other Drugs with relevant socio-economic data. The final dataset comprises 77,650 observations. Leveraging the rare opportunity to examine the effects of a policy that remained in force for a limited period, our empirical investigation employs a Complementary Log-Log model to analyse the starting rate, that is, the transition rate from non-use to use. To do so, we use self-reported data on the age of first cannabis use. Our results suggest that the implementation of stricter punishments has a significant effect in reducing the likelihood of early cannabis use initiation. The observed impact of criminalisation is limited in younger ages and diminished as adulthood approaches. This paper also discusses other considerations related to the social costs of criminalisation, which should also be taken into account in the ongoing policy debate.