European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) 2024: methodology
Introduction
This data factsheet provides some methodological insights and background on the European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) 2024. The European Web Survey on Drugs collected data between May and July 2024 from people who use drugs, aged 18 or older, living in EU and non-EU countries. Respondents were self-selected and country recruitment strategies consisted of a mixture of social media campaigns, press releases and contacts with drug-related networks. On the basis of their drug use, respondents were presented with modules on one or more of the following main substances: cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy/MDMA, amphetamine, methamphetamine, heroin, new psychoactive substances (NPS) and ketamine. Other drug modules, relevant to specific contexts, were added by individual countries.
Questionnaires were presented in the languages of the countries. In EU countries the survey was a collaboration between the EUDA, Reitox national focal points and individual NGOs, and in non-EU countries between the EUDA, national contact points and NGOs. Over 100 organisations participated.
Last update: 25 February 2025
Recruitment
In the 2024 edition of the European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD), the EUDA collaborated with partners in 35 countries, running the survey simultaneously in 30 languages.
Altogether, 67 071 individuals across all participating countries agreed to participate, 6 1732 of them within EU and Norway. Moreover, as in 2021, this year’s round also had the participation the agency’s partners from the Western Balkans and the European Neighbourhood Policy area through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA8) and EU4Monitoring Drugs (EU4MDII) project.
Use of social media to recruit participants
The survey was advertised in a number of different ways, which varied by country. More than 80 % of participants reported that they learned about the survey via social media, either in a shared post (e.g. Facebook, X/Twitter, TikTok) or in a paid advertising (e.g. Google, Facebook or Instagram ads). Less than 1 % notified that they knew about the survey through advertising at drug services venues, at recreational settings (e.g. parties or clubs), at specialized shops (e.g. coffee shop, smart shop or grow shop) or through printed media (e.g magazines).
Demographic characteristics of respondents
A majority of respondents were under 35 years of age (62 %), the median age of participants was 30 years old. Among the survey respondents, 59 % were males (including 1 % who identified as transgender or non-binary), 40 % were females (including 3 % who identified as transgender or non-binary) and 1 % were intersex or preferred not to answer.
| Term | Coord |
|---|---|
| Female | 0 |
| Male | 1 |
| Intersex | 2 |
| I prefer not to answer | 3 |
| Term | Coord |
|---|---|
| Woman | 0 |
| Man | 1 |
| Transgender or non-binary | 2 |
| I prefer not to answer | 3 |
Using web surveys
Web surveys enable drug data collection from a large sample of, most often, self-selected respondents. They can provide in-depth insights into the patterns, practices and features of drug use and drug markets, and the relationships between these variables.
While web surveys are not representative of the general population, when carefully conducted and combined with traditional data-collection methods, they can help paint a more detailed, realistic and timely picture of drug use and drug markets in Europe. As such, they are a key ingredient in the EUDA’s responsiveness to an ever-shifting drugs problem.
These surveys are generally more cost-efficient than other data collection methods due to savings in participant recruitment, survey design and distribution, the time and cost of data transcription and the speed at which data can be processed. They also generally make it easy for respondents to decide when and where they want to complete the survey, placing the data collection tool at the convenience of the respondent.
The privacy and anonymity that are afforded by this approach have several added benefits. Among other things, the anonymity of online data collection on drug issues has been shown to help reduce response bias on sensitive topics such as drug use, as some studies have shown that respondents are more likely to report their substance use patterns through online surveys than, for example, self-administered paper surveys.
While web surveys have shown great promise, they are not without limitations. Importantly, since web surveys are generally based on self-selection and often have no pre-planned sampling frame (a list from which individuals are drawn for the sample), even with particularly large samples these surveys are usually not representative of the general population or of any pre-defined groups of people who use drugs. For this reason, web surveys cannot be used to develop general drug use prevalence estimates, and researchers need to exercise caution when interpreting results from such surveys.
For more detailed information on the methodology of web surveys and the EWSD project, please visit the European Web Survey on Drugs project page.
Notes
The data presented in this factsheet refer to all the participant countries in the European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD).
European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
EU4MDII: Lebanon, Palestine*, Ukraine
IPA8: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia
Other countries: Norway, Switzerland
Palestine*: This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.
Kosovo*: This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
Related resources
- European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) 2024 landing page
- European Web Survey on Drugs 2024: top level findings, 24 EU countries and Norway
- European Web Survey on Drugs 2024: top-level findings, Western Balkans
- European Web Survey on Drugs topic hub page (outputs, news, etc.)
- European Web Survey on Drugs project page
Recommended citation
Recommended citation: European Union Drugs Agency (2025), European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) 2024: methodology, https://www.euda.europa.eu/publications/data-factsheet/european-web-survey-drugs-2024-top-level-findings/methodology
Source data
The complete set of source data for the European Web Survey on Drugs 2024: top level findings, including additional metadata and methodological notes is available in our data catalogue.