The University of Minnesota at Duluth

Reality Bytes: We Don't Drink As Much As We Think We Do.

Project Description

The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a comprehensive regional university. UMD's fall 2001 enrollment was 9,380, with approximately one quarter of the students from northeastern Minnesota and one third from the Twin Cities area. UMD enrolled the largest first-year class in UMD history with 2,153 students.

During the 2001-2002 school year, UMD established a social norm campaign to address college student drinking. Through a campus-based media campaign, students were targeted with the true statistics of alcohol consumption.

Project Objective

To reduce the misperceptions related to alcohol consumption, leading to a reduction in heavy episodic drinking.

Baseline Data

The National College Health Survey was administered Spring 2001 to 546 UMD students, which gave baseline information on alcohol use at UMD. Highlights from this data include:

UMD students report using these tips when they party
  • Alternate non-alcoholic with alcoholic beverages.
  • Determine, in advance, not to exceed a set number of drinks.
  • Choose to not drink alcohol.
  • Use a designated driver.
  • Eat before and/or during drinking.
  • Have a friend let you know when you've had enough.
  • Keep track of how many drinks you are having.
  • Pace our drinks to 1 or fewer per hour.
  • Avoid drinking games.
  • Drink an alcoholic look-alike.
Of those who drink:
  • 61% had not physically injured themselves
  • 76.9% had not physically injured another person
  • 73.7% had not been involved in a fight
  • 80.3% did not have someone use force or threat of force to have sex
  • 67.3% had not had unprotected sex
  • 85% did not let alcohol interfere with their academic performance
In addition, 17.4% of students reported abstaining from alcohol.

Primary Normative Messages and Marketing Methods Employed

Ten different posters were developed based on the baseline data. These were displayed on campus and also appeared as newspaper ads in the campus newspaper (The Statesmen) every two weeks throughout the school year.

Among the messages include (click on the text to view the poster):

Most UMD students drink safely when they party, if they drink at all. Most students pace themselves to about 1 drink per hour, or less.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! UMD students report drinking about ONE drink per hour…

If they only knew… The majority of UMD students are good neighbors and have a positive effect on the community.

85% of UMD students do not let alcohol interfere with their academics.

76% of UMD students use a designated driver. Others call a cab or call someone they trust…

These drinking tips came from you! Pace yourself…. Alternate beverages… Keep track of drinks… Party without alcohol.

In addition, eight students from the Peer Education Program (PEP) gave presentations about student misconceptions of alcohol use. They were invited to visit academic classes and talked to about 700 freshmen. One of their goals was to show students how they misperceive the amount of alcohol students drink. The PEP students administered a short survey the first day. They went back to class the second day with the survey results and other information about making safer choices regarding alcohol. A list of the survey questions and the results is available on the UMD Social Norms Project web site. (See "Further Information" below.)

Project Director

Corita Fischer, Chemical Health Educator
University of Minnesota-Duluth Health Services
615 Niagara Court
Duluth, MN 55812

Email : [email protected]

Further Information

http://www.d.umn.edu/outreach/sn/
This is the web page of UMD's Reality Bytes Social Norms Campaign

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www.socialnorm.org