1. Exploring product choice and alcohol price thresholds amongst young people in North East England Stephanie ONeil Institute of Health and Society Newcastle University stephanie.oneil@ncl.ac.uk

2. Young people and alcohol > Background: - the regional picture - european comparisons - policy and practice > The research project: - aims / rationale - mixed methods – focus on qualitative work - participants aged 14-17 – 31 interviews completed - Focusing on commerciality – the 4 Ps - Extrinsic factors promoting/inhibiting drinking - ethics!

3. What do young people think/say about factors that inhibit/promote drinking behaviour?

4. Product… > I see it as...a mans drink...a big sort of like bulky man...standing with a pint of Guinness…older men too...It just doesnt look like appealing... (Female aged 16) > Like sort of students in town...And theyre like sort of hip and cool with the like colours and funky flavours and that sort of thing. (WKD) (Female aged 16) >its no different to sort of like lemonade or whatever without the fizz. (Smirnoff Ice) (Female aged 16) > …Strongbow is a lot more of a sort of lower market stuff that teenagers tend to drink… (Male 16 years) > …alcopops have a bit of a bad reputation...associate it with a certain group of people… chava sort (Male 16 years)

5. Price... >... if theres loads of we sharing then its never like a lot of money that we have to put in...sometimes it might kick off a bit if some people have like not put any money in but are still taking most of the drink. (Female aged 16) > We hardly ever drink vodka....its about a fiver for a little bottle about that big... You can get three litres (of cider) for three nineteen. Its good. (Males aged 14) > just however much it costs really...I dont really pay attention to the price to be honest...I always have enough… (Male aged 16)

6. Promotion (overt)... > …Heineken was one of like the main sponsors of Evolution so they had Heineken posters around quite a lot…it was one of the only things you could buy anyway so you didnt really have much of a choice… (Male aged 16) > see adverts for alcohol where there are like men drinking in the stadium…it has that sort of that macho sort of culture with it and I think that thats true…especially like for sports teams and stuff alcohol does play quite a big part in like the like post match culture. (Male aged 16) > Its the Carling and Strongbow and that they do now because thats the most wanted beer... you see a lot of vodka... Russian Standards vodka...Smirnoff vodka...somebody does something bad and it says have you got your WKD side? (Males aged 14)

7. Promotion (covert)... >...I always think of The Mighty Boosh…youre having Baileys from a shoe... that always makes us laugh. Ive always wanted to try that. (Female aged 16) >...you describe it as like a proper TV beer... Theres nothing really can go wrong with it. Its black, white... (Male aged 15) >... programmes for my age range, like you know youve got like Skins and the In-betweeners...its like a frequent part of that...especially Skins is a lot and scares us... a lot of the time theyre not just sitting with a drink, normally theyre getting like sort of wasted... (Female aged 16)

8. Place (Access / Availability)... >...some friends parents like offer to buy it…we all chip in a few quid... (Female aged 16) >... I know the shop keeper like in the local shop, me and all me friends all know him and hes got no problem just as long we dont like tell people...this is where we got it, this is who served we... (Female aged 16) > I walked out with four cans and got caught…the person who was behind the counter came up…pulled them out me coat and let us go. (Male aged 14)

9. Another P: Parents... >...if I ask for eight cans of Fosters my mam and dad would be, like, well is that not a bit too much, and so then Id ask for four (Female aged 17) > …thats what my dad drinks so I drink that... I go...with my dad to the rugby a lot...we usually have a pint after the match…thats sort of like you know like that sort of culture... (Male, 16 years) > Dad told me how to make Moscow Mules. (Male aged 15)

10. Concluding Thoughts: Growing up in an intoxigenic environment... > I might grow to acquire a taste for like more sophisticated drinks like whiskey and brandy…when Im more like, a more mature man…thats the one thing I must say on telly you always see... (Male aged 16) > You sort of get to learn the places where you will and wont get served…so you go to those places rather than other places…I look the oldest Im usually the nominated one (Male, aged 16)

11. Any Questions?