1. Elsa Lavado, Vasco Calado
Social Representations of Drugs and Drug Abuse Inquiry to the Portuguese youth present in three editions of Rock in Rio music festival (2008/2012/2016)
2nd European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies
PAPER SESSION 57: The challenge of responding in recreational settings
Lisbon, 26th october 2017
Elsa Lavado, Vasco Calado
SICAD Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências
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2. The research team works in the Portuguese governmental organization dedicated to the monitoring and intervention in addictive behaviours: General – Directorate for the Intervention in Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies.
17/09/18

3. Introduction
Rock in Rio is a music festival originating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas.
It’s the biggest music festival in Portugal and it takes place in five days, spread over two weekends. Some concerts have an audience of up to people.
Due to the diversity of styles of music played (from pop to heavy metal and electronic dance music), the festival attracts a very heterogeneous audience.

4. Introduction
Under SICAD’s Social Representation Studies Programme, since 2008 a research is done every 4 years among the young population attending the Rock in Rio – Lisbon music festival.
The same questionnaire was used in 2008, 2012 and 2016, in order to obtain comparable results.

5. Young people’s illicit substance patterns of use
Objectives
Identify recent changes in young people’s social representations, beliefs and attitudes towards illicit drugs, drug users and drug legislation
Young people’s illicit substance patterns of use
Main Objectives

6. MAIN DIMENSIONS considered in the survey
Methodology
QUESTIONNAIRE:
two pages with open and closed questions
applied by a team of interviewers, at the festival’s gates or the surrounding area
MAIN DIMENSIONS considered in the survey
sociodemographic characterization
social representations of illicit drugs and drug users
risk perceptions, beliefs and attitudes
knowlegde and attitudes towards drug legislation
patterns of drug use
Convenience sample – adolescents and young adults (15-34 years)
only Portuguese

7. RESULTS

8. Social Representations
Drug users were widely associated to crime and social problems, such as infectious diseases, prostitution or extreme poverty
When talking about illicit drugs, people thought of heroin and heroin users (junkies) in particular
What happened since 2001, when the Portuguese drug law changed dramatically (decriminalisation)?
Studies done in the 90’s showed that drug addiction was considered the enemy number 1 of Portuguese society

9. Major problems of Portuguese society “What comes to mind when I say…?“
Social Representations
Major problems of Portuguese society
Drugs
Drug users
Drug addicts
Word association
“What comes to mind when I say…?“

10. Major problems of Portuguese society (%)
Social Representations
Word association
Major problems of Portuguese society (%)
(N=94)
2008
(N=53)
2012
(N=40)
2016
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

11. Social Representations
Word association
Major problems of Portuguese society:
category “additive behaviors” (%)
2012
(N=53)
2008
(N=94)
2016
(N=40)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

12. Social Representations
Words association
Drug (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

13. Social Representations
Words association
Drug users (%)
- Junkies
+ Youth, friends
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

14. Social Representations
Words association
Drug Addicts (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

15. “Is drug use a crime?” (%)
Beliefs
“Is drug use a crime?” (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

16. Beliefs
“What can happen to someone caught by the authorities using illicit substances?” (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

17. Perceptions Think of Portugal in the last 4 years.
In your opinion, how has been the evolution in terms of:
the number of people with drug problems
the number of persons in jail for drug use
the number of drug addicts living on the streets
the number of drug addicts helping parking cars for money
the number of thefts committed by drug addicts
the number of public spots where drug addicts inject heroin

18. the number of people with
Perceptions
the number of people with
drug problems has… (%)
do you know anyone with
drug problems? Yes (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

19. Perceptions the number of persons in jail for drug use has… (%)
do you know anyone in jail
for drug use? Yes (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

20. Perceptions the number of drug addicts living in the streets has… (%)
do you know any spot where drug addicts live on the street? Yes (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

21. the number of drug addicts helping parking cars for money has… (%)
Perceptions
the number of drug addicts helping parking cars for money has… (%)
have you came across with drug addicts helping parking cars for money? Yes (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

22. Perceptions the number of thefts committed by drug addicts has… (%)
do you know anyone who has been robbed by drug addicts? Yes (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

23. Perceptions
the number of public spots where drug addicts inject heroin has… (%)
do you know any public spot where drug addicts inject heroin? Yes (%)
Source: Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências/DMI/DEI

24. Conclusions

25. Conclusions Main Conclusions
Between 2008 and 2016, fewer respondents considered illicit drugs a serious social problem. In 2016, alcohol was considered a much serious problem than illicit drugs.
Illicit drugs are less and less associated to crime, poverty and social exclusion. Nowadays the Portuguese youth seems to consider Illicit drug use more as a lifestyle and a life choice – albeit a bad one – than a social problem.
According to respondents, problematic drug use is less visible than it used to be. Drug abuse has been largely taken out of the streets. Therefore young people show less familiarity and contact with drug addicts.

26. Conclusions Main Conclusions
In fact, the figure of the heroin junky, which was a central character in popular culture in the 80’ and 90’s, is absent in the young people’s narratives.
Respondents tend to increasingly associate the word ’drugs’ to cannabis and no longer to heroin, as it was common in the past. They also increasingly associate the word ’drug users’ to friends and young people than to drug addicts.
Nevertheless, drug use is mostly seen a bad thing, an unhealthy lifestyle that can lead to health problems and addiction. Although more informed about the law, respondents still think that drug use is punishable with a jail sentence.

27. Thank you for your attention
Research Team
Coordination: Carla Ribeiro
Elsa Lavado, Vasco Calado
Thank you for your attention ;