College Students' Behaviors Misperceived By College Students Themselves

Three Studies Presented at National Conference on the Social Norms Approach
Illustrate Need to Correct Misperceptions about Consumption of Alcohol on
College Campuses

MINNEAPOLIS, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Data from three unpublished studies make
a compelling case against common assumptions that colleges are hotbeds of
alcohol abuse and that fraternity and sorority members are the least
responsible alcohol-consumers on campus. The studies also refute the notion
that scare tactics are the best way to deter alcohol abuse among students.
The studies were presented at the 2009 National Conference on the Social Norms
Approach on July 12-14 in Minneapolis, co-hosted by the Bacchus Network and
the National Social Norms Institute (NSNI).

"Contrary to popular belief, around 80 percent of 18 to 22 year-old
undergraduates are not heavy drinkers, and there has been no significant
upward trend in the consumption of alcohol on college campuses over the past
decade or so," said James C. Turner, MD, Executive Director of the Department
of Student Health and the National Social Norms Institute, and Professor of
Internal Medicine, at the University of Virginia. "An accurate understanding
and portrayal of positive behaviors would help foster similar positive
behaviors among other students. This type of communication characterizes the
social norms approach."

The social norms approach is based on research demonstrating that a person's
behavior is strongly influenced by perceptions of how other members of his or
her social group think and act. Research shows that students overestimate the
frequency and amount of drinking among their peers, underestimate the degree
to which peers use protective behaviors (e.g. designated driver or counting
drinks), and that many students believe their peer's attitudes about drinking
to be more permissive than they actually are. Accordingly, if they perceive
unhealthy behaviors or negative attitudes to be "normal," they are more likely
to engage in these behaviors or adopt those negative attitudes.

As data presented at the conference indicate, communicating accurate
information about the prevalence of healthy behavior among peers helps to
reinforce existing healthy behaviors and reduce negative consequences related
to alcohol consumption.

About the Studies
Data presented by Turner illustrate the positive impact of social norms
marketing campaigns at six public and private universities (NSNI grantee
schools), including the University of Virginia (UVa), Florida State, Virginia
Commonwealth, Georgetown, Michigan State and Fresno State. The data show that
negative consequences of alcohol consumption, including injury, fighting,
regretting behaviors, losing memory of events and unprotected sex, all
declined between 2002 and 2006 at the six targeted institutions. This is in
contrast to data from the American College Health Association's National
College Health Assessment survey, which show such negative consequences
marginally increasing or remaining stable nationwide.

"The changes at the schools employing the social norms approach make a strong
case that social norms campaigns foster more positive behavior among students.
It's a healthy form of peer pressure," said Turner. "We find that students
drink less or at least more responsibly and tend to take fewer risks. They
even seek medical care for themselves or others more appropriately when they
perceive that other students are doing so."

Another study presented by Turner looked at the twenty years of mortality
statistics for UVa students starting in 1989. During the 10 years following
implementation of a social norms marketing campaign on the UVa campus
(1999-2009) preliminary results show a 68 percent decline in overall
alcohol-related mortality rates, as well as a 48 percent decrease in motor
vehicle accident mortality rates compared to the decade preceding the
campaign.

"What's important to note about these data is there were no major policy
changes or interventions to curb student alcohol abuse during the time period
in either the community or the state, suggesting the positive impact that a
social norms approach may be having on college campuses," said Jennifer
Bauerle, Ph.D., Director of the National Social Norms Institute.

Another study presented by Turner and Bauerle suggests that the college
environment may afford significant protection against alcohol related motor
vehicle deaths. In a state-wide survey of colleges and universities, it was
discovered that the actual annual rate of alcohol-related traffic fatalities
among Virginia college students was 89 percent lower than previously estimated
in 2001 by the NIH's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "NIH
has likely overestimated the number of alcohol related deaths among college
students because of their research methodology. This particular NIH study has
likely contributed to misperceptions about college drinking and has failed to
identify the safe and protective environments that colleges offer," said
Bauerle. "NSNI postulated that these lower mortality rates in our study are
because students generally drive less when in college, and that alcohol
education is resulting in more responsible alcohol use and less driving under
the influence."

Equally compelling data from one large Midwestern and two large Southern
universities presented at the conference by Lydia Killos, Ph.D., Research
Coordinator for NSNI, confounds the popular misperception that drinking among
members of fraternities and sororities (Greeks) is always more excessive and
less responsible than among "independent" or non-Greek students. Although the
majority of 'Greeks' did drink more than was typical within their sex at their
school, nearly 35 percent of sorority members and 30 percent of fraternity
members are either low-risk drinkers or abstain altogether from alcohol
consumption.

Killos' results also showed no significant behavioral differences between high
quantity drinking sorority and high quantity drinking independent women, and
that fraternity members frequently employ "protective behaviors" when
drinking, such as using a designated driver or eating before and during a
party. For each protective behavior used, all high-quantity drinking
fraternity and sorority members decreased their odds of experiencing a
negative consequence related to alcohol by between 27 and 64 percent.

"Based on traditional stereotypes, people assume that all Greek members drink
high quantities of alcohol, however there is a significant minority who are
drinking at a very reasonable rate. What the data on all three of these
studies reveal is that perception is crucial," said Killos. "The data from
the study on Greeks and independents show significant gaps in awareness
between Greek members' perceptions of typical drinking behavior and the
reality of the amount the 'typical student' actually consumes when drinking
alcohol. The social norms approach addresses those misperceptions and aims to
make students more aware of what the positive realities are, encouraging
students to model positive behaviors on the examples set by their peers."

Overview of Social Norms
Social norms is a behavior change model based on correcting a population's
misperception about behavior. Research has shown that perceptions are one of
the strongest predictors of behavior. People tend to overestimate their
peers' negative behaviors and underestimate the positive, protective
behaviors. Correcting these misperceptions allows people to have the space to
act on their own values (instead of misperceptions) and make positive healthy
choices. The goal is to get students to emulate the positive behavior of the
vast majority of students.

About The National Social Norms Institute
The University of Virginia, a national leader in alcohol and substance abuse
education, established the National Social Norms Institute (NSNI) to conduct
ongoing research into the effectiveness of social norms methodology to combat
high-risk drinking among students. The purpose of NSNI is to research,
evaluate and disseminate information on the social norms methodology to the
field. The Institute's goal is to assist new and current practitioners in the
field in utilizing the social norms approach to bring about behavior change in
their communities and institutions. It is supported by a generous gift from
Anheuser Busch and its charitable foundation. For more information, visit
www.socialnorms.org.

About The BACCHUS Network(TM)
The BACCHUS Network(TM) is a university and community based organization
focusing on comprehensive health and safety initiatives. It is the mission of
the 501 C3 non-profit organization to actively promote student and young adult
based, campus and community-wide leadership on healthy and safe lifestyle
decisions concerning alcohol abuse, tobacco use, illegal drug use, unhealthy
sexual practices, mental health, fitness and other high-risk behaviors.

Part of the mission of The BACCHUS Network(TM) is to help engage campuses in
the use of evidence-based strategies in developing comprehensive health
promotion initiatives. As part of this effort, the organization has long
supported and promoted social norms and pioneered programs and initiatives
using this strategy to complement peer education initiatives.

For more information on The BACCHUS Network(TM) visit www.bacchusnetwork.org.

SOURCE The National Social Norms Institute

Jennifer Corrigan, +1-732-382-8898 (Office), +1-732-742-7148 (Cell)