The effects of a social norms marketing message on self-reported drinking behaviors of college students

Abstract

This pilot study investigated the immediate effects of providing college students with social norms messages regarding peer alcohol consumption on a self-report measure of drinking behaviors. The research hypothesis for this study is that college students who are informed about social norms on campus will report their own drinking behavior in relation to how they see themselves compared to the norm. Participants who are “heavy” or high-risk drinkers are expected to report their actual drinking in relation to the normative information that is provided to them since they may not have an accurate picture of their alcohol consumption. As a pilot study, a purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the experimental design and the questionnaire measures used. The overall purpose of the study was to determine the amount of difference in self-reported drinking levels as measured by the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey for college students who have or have not been provided with normative information about levels of peer alcohol consumption. The main null hypothesis was that there is no statistically significant difference between reported levels of alcohol consumption for college students who have been provided with normative information about peer alcohol consumption as compared to those who have not been provided with any normative information. Although no statistically significant results were found, the study helped to determine if familiarity with social norms messages alone leads to significant differences in the self-reported alcohol consumption of college students. Further research is planned that will utilize the results of this study for modification of the procedures and measures.