Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Cathy Nardo" <>]

October 12, 2006 

 

Research Summary 

The attitude of friends about drinking has more impact on college
students' alcohol use than the social-norms campaigns favored by many
educators, Medical News Today
<http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=53550&nfid=al>
reported Oct. 7.

Researchers at Penn State University found that nearly three out of four
college students didn't believe the standard message of social-norms
campaigns -- that most students have four or fewer drinks at a sitting. 

A slim majority of students said they typically have five or more drinks
at a time, and nearly all of these drinkers said their friends drank
similar amounts of alcohol. Among students who did usually have four or
fewer drinks at a sitting, only 42 percent thought that most other
students drank similar amounts, while 58 percent believed that most
students typically had five or more alcoholic drinks when they partied.

"Disbelief in the campaign message may have resulted from the behavior
observed by students among their friends and acquaintances, which
contrasted with the 0-4 message," said study co-author Dr. Ann Major of
Penn State's Jimirro Center for the Study of Media Influence. "Also,
some students may discount social-norms campaigns as an attempt by
university administrators to control their behavior." 

"The study emphasizes the complex and social nature of human
interaction," Major said. "Social-norms messages proved to be
ineffective among target hard-core drinkers because they have little
concern for what others think and do. Educators may need to consider
multiple approaches to alcohol education with messages that are designed
to target 

the specific needs of student groups and to acknowledge the power of
their social networks."

 

The researchers did find that social-norms campaigns led many students
to consider the problematic aspects of binge drinking. "Women were the
largest group of students who did think about the binge-drinking problem
and expressed concern about getting into trouble with police and [were]
more likely to believe in the effectiveness of the social norms
information campaigns," the study noted. "But it may be likely that men
have greater social acceptance of heavy drinking and affiliated
behaviors." 

The research appears in the journal Health Communication
<http://www.leaonline.com/loi/hc> . 

Reference:
Polonec, L. D., Major, A. M., Atwood, L. E. (2006) Evaluating the
Believability and Effectiveness of the Social Norms Message 'Most
Students Drink 0 to 4 Drinks When They Party.' Health Communication,
20(1): 23-34.