Your Mother Was Right: Your Friends Can Lead You Astray

Pennsylvania State University researchers evaluated the effectiveness of "social norms" campaigns in changing college students' drinking behaviors.

Social norms campaigns are based on the rationale that binge drinkers will be more likely to reduce their drinking if they believe other students on campus drink less than they themselves do. Across the nation, university health educators have coordinated such campaigns based on the rationale that students will drink less alcohol if they think most other students on campus are not heavy or binge drinkers.

What the researchers found was that the message (that most students, if they drank at all, consumed 4 or fewer drinks per sitting or per party) was disbelieved by most heavy drinkers (>5 drinks/party). 

The social norms campaign was effective in motivating 61 percent of the students in the survey to think about binge drinking as a problem. However, the findings clarify that even if students accurately estimate the average number of drinks of students on their campus, this information does not reduce or increase their own drinking.

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"The study emphasizes the complex and social nature of human interaction," Major said. "Social norms messages proved to be ineffective among target hard-core drinkers because they have little concern for what others think and do.

"Educators may need to consider multiple approaches to alcohol education with messages that are designed to target the specific needs of student groups and to acknowledge the power of their social networks," she added.

Parents and preparation for college can be potent forces, especially the parents' non-tolerance of drinking in the home.

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