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A new report by the UK-based Economic and Social Research Council has concluded that
anti-drinking campaigns have little or no impact on behavior or consumption of alcohol by young adults
. Moreover, the youth in the survey reported that they didn’t feelthat binge drinking was an unacceptable or dangerous behavior.
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Overall the youth included in the survey felt that warnings not to drink more than two orthree units of alcohol day are seen as unrealistic. The research did find, however, that youngpeople did “
identify with adverts which promoted alcohol as a fun, social habit.”
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Not surprisingly, the youth also reported that alcohol played a significant part in helpingthem form community, bond with each other and form a group identity.
Many of the youthalso reported that they fail to identify with the portrayal of youth in alcoholawareness, advertising and PSA campaigns
.
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What type of awareness campaigns do work?
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According to Professor Isabelle Szmigin, who assisted the study:
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“For young people, drinking is very much
a part of their social life
but we feel that a lot of the
government literature tends to present a picture of it being an individual responsibility rather than a social one
.
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“
Young people do engage with the idea of responsible drinking but far more fromthe social side
. They ensure there are designated drivers; people looking out for each other and that their friends are safe.”
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Gen Y is a savvy bunch
and the type of
campaigns that may have worked in the pastare no longer effective
. Remember, these kids have access to an unprecedented amountof information–most of it on demand. And they have been weaned on advertising and cansmell marketing a mile away.
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As Professor Szmiin oints out
the best aroach is to shift some of the
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