ATTITUDES TOWARDS ALCOHOL POLICY ACROSS EUROPE RESULTS OF THE RARHA SEAS STUDY JACEK MOSKALEWICZ, POLAND & ZSUZSANNA ELEKES, HUNGARY LISBON ADDICTIONS 2017 LISBON, 21-23 OCTOBER 2017

SEAS PARTNERS 873 1500 1493 1624 2153 1513 1575 1046 1555 3406 2005 1701 1500 1500 1468 3000 661 1500 1645 1519 Spain contributed with 2 samples: a national sample covering and representative of the whole country and an additional one specially designed to be representative of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia

THE RANKING OF ALCOHOL CONTROL POLICIES ACROSS EUROPE (KARLSSON, LINDEMAN & ÖSTERBERG 2012)

OPINIONS ON ALCOHOL POLICIES ACROSS EUROPE (PERCENTAGE OF STRONGLY AGREE AND SOMEWHAT AGREE) OPINIONS IN FAVOUR OF CONTROL POLICIES AVERAGE (%) PUBLIC AUTHORITIES HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY 61.6 ADVERTISING OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES - BANNED 57.1 RESTRICTIONS ON EVENING ALCOHOL SALES 52.5 RESTRICTIONS ON ALCOHOL OUTLETS NETWORK 49.1 ALCOHOL PRICES – TO BE KEPT HIGH 46.0  OPINIONS IN FAVOUR OF EDUCATION AND INDIVIDUALLY BASED POLICIES ALCOHOL EDUCATION AND INFORMATION - PRIORITY 89.5 RANDOM BAC CHECKS IN DRIVERS 84.5 PRINTED WARNINGS ON ALCOHOL PACKAGING 75.4  OPINIONS IN FAVOUR OF LAISSEZ FAIRE APPROACH ADULT PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH 63.4 PARENTS, AND NOT LEGAL AUTHORITIES, - AGE OF ONSET 48.4 ALCOHOL IS A PRODUCT LIKE ANY OTHER - NO SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS REQUIRED 33.1

OPINIONS IN FAVOUR OF RANDOM BREATH TESTING

EDUCATION AS PRIORITY MEASURE

OPINIONS IN FAVOUR OF PRINTED WARNINGS

ADVERTISING BAN

OPINIOS IN FAVOUR OF RESTRICTED AFFORDABILITY

OPINIONS IN FAVOUR OF RESTRICTED AVAILABILITY (NUMBER OF OUTLETS TO BE LOW)

OPINIONS I NFAVOUR OF RESTRICTING AVAILABILITY (REDUCED HOURS OF SALE)

PUBLIC AUTHORITIES HAVE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT PEOPLE

ADULTS ARE RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO PROTECT THEMSELVES

ALCOHOL ORDINARY COMMODITY

PARENTS NOT LEGAL AUTHORITIES TO DECIDE ON DRINKING AGE

SPONSORING SPORT BY ALCOHOL INDUSTRY TO BE BANNED

RESULTS OF FACTOR ANALISIS   Component 1 2 3 Alcohol is commodity as any other -0,256 -0,085 0,684 Adults are responsible enough to protect themselves -0,120 -0,003 0,706 Public authorities have responsibility to protect others 0,446 0,257 -0,080 Number of places selling alcohol should be kept low 0,807 0,045 -0,033 Alcohol prices should be kept high to reduce alcohol harm 0,774 0,050 -0,036 Alcohol education and information should be the most important policy measure 0,091 0,755 -0,051 Advertising of alcohol should be banned 0,600 0,213 -0,100 Random breath testing 0,133 0,701 -0,009 Printed warnings about alcohol-related harm should be displayed 0,447 0,527 0,075 There should be limits on how late in the evening you can buy alcohol 0,709 0,159 -0,025 No legal authorities but parents should decide at what age their child is allowed to drink 0,185 0,036 0,687

DOMINANT ATTITUDES TOWARDS ALCOHOL POLICY

DISCUSSION POINTS THREE ATTITUDES TOWARDS ALCOHOL POLICY EMERGED IN FAVOUR OF ALCOHOL CONTROL IN FAVOUR OF EDUCATION IN FAVOUR OF LAISSEZ FAIRE APPROACH MAJORITY OF EUROPEANS SUPPORT EDUCATION AND INFORMATION AS WELL AS RANDOM BREATH TESTING HOWEVER, ONE THIRD ONLY FAVOURS LAISSEZ FAIRE OPINION THAT ALCOHOL IS A COMMODITY AS ANY OTHER AND DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY RESTRICTIONS. GREAT VARIATION ACROSS COUNTRIES EXISTS FROM LESS THAN 20% IN UK, ESTONIA, SWEDEN, FRANCE AND ITALY TO OVER 50% IN POLAND AND BULGARIA

DISCUSSION CONTINUED EXISTING MEASURES OF A LEVEL OF ALCOHOL CONTROL NOT ALWAYS REFLECT REAL LEVEL OF CONTROL SUPPORT FOR ALCOHOL POLICY MEASURES IS NOT DIRECTLY LINKED TO EXISTING LEVEL OF CONTROL MOST SUPPORTIVE FOR ALCOHOL CONTROL ARE SOME COUNTRIES WITH RELLATIVELY LOW LEVEL OF CONTROL SUCH AS ITALY COUNTRIES WITH HIGH LEVEL OF CONTROL ARE MORE IN FAVOUR OF EDUCTION, REJCTING, HOWEVER, LAISSEZ FAIRE POLICIES COUNTRIES IN SUPPORT OF LAISSEZ FAIRE POLICIES INCLUDE BULGARIA, LITHUANIA, POLAND, CROATIA, ROMANIA I.E. COUNTRIES EXPERIENCED IN CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMIES. SIMILAR SUPPORT, HOWEVER, LAISSEZ FAIRE APPROACH ENJOYS IN AUSTRIA, PORTUGAL AND SPAIN

DISCUSSION CONTINUED EVIDENCE-BASED POLICIES HAVE DIFFERENT PROSPECTS DEPENDING ON LEVEL OF PUBLIC SUPPORT ALCOHOL CONTROL POLICIES WILL BE SUPPORTED E.G. IN ITALY AND ESTONIA NORDIC COUNTRIES SHOULD APPLY MORE ALCOHOL EDUCATION LAISSEZ FAIRE COUNTRIES SHOULD EMPLOY EDUCATION PROMOTING CONTROL MEASURES BEFORE THEIR DIRECT APPLICATION