Using social marketing to provide insight into underage/binge drinking A report for:

Purpose Share insights from qualitative research into underage and binge drinking among young people Consider potential interventions that may be developed across the network

Key objectives of project Identify personal values and beliefs of underage and binge drinkers Understand the motivations behind drinking and identify the barriers to reducing this drinking Understand who and what the influencers on binge drinkers are Understand current awareness levels of previous campaigns aimed at reducing binge and risky drinking Identify what interventions would encourage these young people to drink with less risk Learn what motivating aspects of drinking less exist - if any Look at language and key methods of communication to connect with this audience

What was covered Drinking behaviour Behaviour and motivations Conclusions and recommendations Background and approach Drivers to drink Concept testing Communications

Our approach

Approach 16 in-depth paired interviews at home (32 respondents) Underage drinkers (aged 13-15) Binge drinkers (aged 16-21) – drinking more than 10 units (females) and 14 units (males ) on the same day ChelmsfordMaldonBraintree 8 interviews4 interviews Best practice review, nationally and internationally, analysis of current campaigns Stakeholder engagement and interviews

Important things to the age group are… Important Things Ipod Mobile Phone TV Friends Money Teacher Under 16s tend to see as a ‘relationship of trust’ Internet Facebook was used extensively by all age groups Family Under 16s tend to see as a ‘relationship of trust’

Drivers to drink – All Looking cool Stop bad stuff happening to you Being popular Mates stick up for you Having lots of friends yr olds Feeling safe Highest drivers Outsmarting Parental authority Getting an adrenalin rush Being clever Breaking boundaries Stopping boredom yr olds Being a rebel Socialising Peer pressure /fitting in Not being boring Not being an outcast Feeling lonely 16+ yr olds Being accepted Relieving stress Being with mates Not being bored Having fun Getting away from pressures All Freedom Drivers to drink changed greatly with age for respondents 16 and under, though freedom to do what they wanted was a key driver for all age groups

Lack of things to do Lack of ‘things to do’ was a problem for young people in Maldon and Braintree Young people in Chelmsford tended to be more satisfied A greater amount of ‘free’ activities for young people to get involved with were called for across all areas, particularly for 15/16/17 year olds

Communicating with the Target Audiences Images in communication campaigns resonate most strongly with respondents – large amounts of text are thought to be pointless as they will not take the time to read it Personal negative experiences with alcohol appear to have the greatest impact on young people’s drinking habits Perhaps surprising, having parents (particularly fathers) ‘sit them down’ and tell them the risks of excessive drinking had a great effect on some, particularly females

Key findings Drinking is a rite of passage, parents, teens and community expect young people to drink – some stated it as an obligation Drinking is the lesser evil to drugs and therefore parents turn a blind eye Young people are well aware of the advertising and can quote campaigns such as ‘Know your limits’ Campaigns that feature personal negative outcomes resonate more as do those that give constructive advice The role of the parents is underused…young people expressed a desire for parental involvement, particularly females

Key findings Young people know that excessive drinking is bad for them Recognise the images of excess… Its just not them, its their friends, companions…they can manage their drink, they don’t drink to excess Emphasises the positives of drink -Confidence -Being happy and relaxed -Having a wider group of friends -Release from stress and opportunity to rebel Perceived safety and acceptance from their peers all prove too strong to stop young people drinking

Conclusions & recommendations Both underage and binge drinking are regarded as social activities, and despite fulfilling the recruitment quotas, no respondents thought that they were drinking excessive amounts To them, excessive drinking meant consuming alcohol every night of the week – just drinking at weekends, no matter how much the amount, was believed to be acceptable Older respondents (15+) strongly believed that they knew ‘how to handle’ their drink, therefore, could not understand why there should be any campaigns /interventions with regard to their drinking habits, or simply thought messages about excessive drinking did not apply to them Awareness raising as to the amount that young people are drinking will, therefore, be an important starting point for a campaign/interventions

Recommendations – engage groups The intervention must create a “pattern interrupt” trigger to break out of habitual behaviour It is essential to engage groups of individuals to change the social norm and build belief that “everyone is doing it”

Recommendations - potential social marketing actions Communications – raise awareness of the problem and create conviction that change needs to occur immediate impact of drinking on “people like me” (physical and emotional wellbeing), realistic unit guidance and clear health impacts, impact on loved ones, time to live life to the full Products and services – provide tools that make it easy to act drink cards/loyalty schemes, rewards and incentives for groups and individuals (perhaps involving an element of competition and personal reward for cutting down) Collaborations – create communities of interest partnerships with others who share our goal with parents/schools and in the alcohol industry, delivering benefits to local communities/pubs, integration of messages through healthcare and community channels Policy – track progress and reinforce Send out clear message through increased pricing, mandatory testing, measure impact

Recommendations – the process of persuasion Raise awareness of the problem Create a belief that change needs to occur Provide tools that make it easy to act Create communities of interest Track progress and reinforce EngageInspireEmbed Highlight impact on “people like me” Parental/school support Pubs/bars