Project Empowerment (Name of your school Name of your organization Contact information for you)

DrunkSober

n Everybody thinks everybody else does more of everything than they actually do. n We tend to overestimate how much other people do unhealthy things and underestimate how often people do healthy things.

Norms and Misperceptions n Norm: an unspoken social rule or code about how people are supposed to behave or what they are supposed to believe. n Norms influence our behavior. n People have to infer what norms are. Norms are not explicitly taught or explained. n As a result, people misperceive what the norms are. n Misperceived norms are as powerful as actual norms in influencing behavior.

Media Literacy n What does “NEWS” mean? n We notice the “difference” not the pattern. n “Out of the Ordinary” gets the attention. n Focusing on the unusual makes it appear usual. n Not-Normal behavior looks like the Norm.

Misperceived Norms n A misperceived norm will be perpetuated if most people believe most other people think it is true. Ex: (Your school) is a party school. n Even if you don’t personally agree with the misperceived norm, if you think everyone else does that’s enough to perpetuate the misperception (for you and for others). n When most people think unhealthy behavior is the norm, that allows the unhealthy behavior to go unchallenged.

Comparing Perceptions to Reality n The alcohol survey you completed provided us with what you estimated norms are for alcohol related behaviors among various students (your group, and students campuswide). n This presentation will compare your group’s estimates (i.e. perceptions) with the actual behavior of these other groups.

Collecting Data on Actual Behaviors of your group and (your school) n You reported how much you engage in certain behaviors and so did other students. n This provided the data for the actual norms for your group. n A campus wide mailed random sample survey provided information about actual norms for the campus.

You estimate your group believes: Your group actually believes: Drinking is never a good thing All right, but don’t get smashed Occasional drunk is OK, but it doesn’t interfere Occasional drunk is ok even if it does interfere Frequent drunk is OK if that is what the person wants

Occasional drunk is ok even if it does interfere Occasional drunk is OK, but it doesn’t interfere All right, but don’t get smashed Drinking is never a good thing (Your school) actually believes: You estimate (your school) believes:

On average how many drinks do the following groups have when they consume alcohol? You estimated Actual findings Your Group Students at (Your school)

How often do the following groups drink per week? You estimated Actual findings Your Group Students at (Your school)

Of students who do drink, what percentage of students practice the following behaviors when they drink? (percentage of respondents answering “always” or “usually”.) _% of students in your group do this _% of students campuswide do this Eat before and during drinking Have a designated driver Choose beverages you know the alcohol content of Limit $$$ spent on alcohol

During the past 30 days, what percentage of students engaged in the following behaviors? _% of students in your group did this _% of students campuswide did this Intervened with a drunk friend to prevent injury Prevent friend from going home with someone they might regret Intervened to keep someone from being a victim or victimizing someone

During the past 30 days, what percentage of students engaged in the following behaviors? _% of students in your group did this _% of students campuswide did this Went to a party/social activity not serving alcohol Did something fun without alcohol Refused an offer of alcohol

1. We’re more likely to drink more heavily if we think other students drink a lot, and that they approve of heavy drinking. 2. Students don’t drink as much as you thought. 3. Most students who do drink are more responsible than we give them credit for. 4. Students are making healthier choices than we realize, whether or not they choose to drink. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?