Youngsters feel more pressure from their friends at school than their parents or teachers.

A street survey conducted by The Royal Gazette on the streets of Hamilton this week revealed that teenagers were prone to worrying about a whole range of issues, particularly during the first week of the school year.

While a number of young people said their main worries were work related, almost everyone asked made it clear that they felt some kind of peer pressure while at school, whether it was "remaining popular'' or "not getting into fights''.

Marika Barden, 14, was of the opinion that it is not so much the work that pressures her at school.

She said: "There is more pressure from friends to try drugs and stuff.'' Fourteen-year-old Bronwyn Baralt agreed to a certain extent, denying that schoolwork constituted one of her major worries.

"At school I concentrate on my social life,'' Bronwyn said, adding "There's a lot of pressure to be popular at school.'' Her friend, Vicky Sowerby, also 14, had the same opinion.

She said "being with friends is the biggest pressure'' she faced.

Friends Gary Bartley and Andre Chow, both 14, also felt that most pressure came from their peers.

Andre said he worried mostly about "getting into fights'' with other students while Gary cited two major concerns of his were "socialising'' and "girls''.

This does mean to say that students did not express worries about schoolwork at all.

Erin Van Putten, 14, felt both work and peer pressure were the main problems for students these days.

Chloe Lambert, 13, took a slightly stronger view, saying: "At school I find work to be more of a pressure than socialising or friends.'' A 19-year-old, who preferred not to be named, reflected on her school days.

She said: "I'm working now, but when I was at school I didn't feel peer pressure that much.'' Her reason for this was because she was "more of a leader''.

She added that work had played a much larger part in her thinking while at school and that her main worry was test taking because she "wasn't so good at it''.

But 15-year-old Chantiv Simons expressed an easy-going attitude, saying he did not really feel under any pressures at school.

He said: "I guess I worry about getting into detention more than anything.'' Marika Barden, 14 Vicky Sowerby, 14 Andre Chow, 14 Chloe Lambert, 13 Bronwyn Boralt, 14 Gary Bartley, 14 Erin Van Putten, 14 Chantiv Simons, 15