This Australian study reports on a novel, community-based social marketing intervention designed to correct misperceptions that excessive adolescent drinking is the norm. The effort targeted adolescents, parents of adolescents and the broader community. The study found that shifts in community social norms are possible and suggests that this approach could be used more widely to support the positive trends in youth alcohol consumption and parental supply. Using the social norms approach – the notion that people are motivated to conform to the behavior of others – the campaign included more than 2,600 advertising posters, 5,000 booklets on underage drinking and tips for parents and 20,000 items for kids, including hacky sacks, highlighters, magnets and coffee cups. The effort also included paid advertising, media coverage and website traffic. A survey of 397 people in the community found that 86 percent had seen or heard the messages about underage drinking. More than half recalled the main message, “Kiama Doesn’t Support Underage Drinking.” After a year, the researchers were able to identify several community changes. They found a drop in the perceived prevalence of youth drinking and an increase in the average age people thought it was acceptable for people to drink. Among parents, perceptions of the acceptability of supplying alcohol to a 16-year-old changed in the desired direction.
Take away: Social campaigns can be effective at changing long-held perceptions about underage drinking. While this study was in younger adolescents, it is possible that those seeking to reduce on-campus underage drinking could employ some of the tactics used here.