The Effectiveness of Social Norms: Alcohol

When properly conducted, the social norms approach is an evidence-based, data-driven process, and a very cost-effective method of achieving large-scale positive behavior change and harm reduction. This is especially appealing to those who work in the field of college health, many of whom have struggled for years trying to implement politically popular but ineffective programs.

As noted in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's (NIAAA) Task Force Report on College Drinking (2002), "several institutions that persistently communicated accurate norms have experienced reductions of up to 20 percent in high-risk drinking over a relatively short period of time. Together these findings provide strong support for the potential impact of the Social Norms approach."

Examples of social norms projects at colleges and universities that have documented reductions in high-risk drinking by promoting the fact that most students drink moderately, if at all, include:

  • Hobart and William Smith Colleges — 32% Reduction over 4 years
  • Northern Illinois University — 44% Reduction over 9 years
  • Rowan University — 25% Reduction over 3 years
  • University of Arizona — 27% Reduction over 3 years
  • University of Missouri at Columbia — 21% Reduction over 2 years
  • Western Washington University — 20% Reduction in the first year

(For further information on these projects, see the Case Studies section of this web site.)

The social norms approach has also been effective in reducing alcohol use among high school students. To date, two projects in this fast-emerging area have documented effectiveness:

  • DeKalb & Sycamore High Schools — 30% Reduction in last 30-day use
  • Evanston Township High School — 11% Reduction in last 30-day use

(For further information on these projects, see the Case Studies section of this web site.)

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