This page was rebuilt in 2026. The original text was not preserved; the content below is based on the sources listed at the end.

The University of Tennessee (UT) appears in this site's list of university alcohol case studies (Case Studies: Alcohol). The project description itself was not preserved. The facts below come from a published honors thesis about drinking norms at UT.

Campus data

The thesis reports that UT's Safety, Environment, and Education Center (S.E.E. Center) found in a 2007 survey that 74% of UT students reported not binge drinking in the past two weeks, and that only 22% of students reported drinking five or more drinks three or more times in the past two weeks.

Norms messages

The thesis tested norms messages with first-year students in UT residence halls. Fliers were posted in the elevator lobbies of the experimental floors, and a smaller flier was placed in residents' mailboxes. One flier read: "What does it look like to stop? 80% of UT students report having four or fewer drinks when they go out. They know when to stop. Do you?" The fliers cited the campus survey data as their source.

How it fits the social norms approach

The UT figures fit the pattern the approach builds on: most students drink moderately or not at all, even though students commonly overestimate how much their peers drink. Messages built on local survey data, such as the flier above, are the core tool for closing that gap. See The Social Norms Approach.

Sources

  • Edwards, R. E. (2009). The Power to Shape Actions: Drinking Norms on the Campus of the University of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Chancellor's Honors Program Projects. trace.tennessee.edu/handle/20.500.14382/9501