Mid-Year Session Will Consider Social Norms Campaigns for Coalitions

Everyone else is doing it.” At least that is what many youth and young adults believe when they engage in risky behaviors including substance abuse practices, particularly when they live in college communities.

Current research is mixed on the effectiveness of applying marketing practices to social norms campaigns in collegiate environments, and practically no research has been conducted on the efficacy of social norms marketing among middle school and high school students. CADCA, through a course offered by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), helps demystify the research surrounding these interventions and how they fit into a comprehensive set of population-level change strategies in “Community/College Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Misuse” on Thursday, July 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at CADCA’s 2011 Mid-Year Training Institute, July 24-28 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Anaheim, Calif.

Social norms represent people’s attitudes and expectations toward certain behaviors and activities with the context of a specific social environment. According to Bill DeJong Ph.D., professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health and co-trainer for “Community/College Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Misuse,” college students tend to overestimate the use of alcohol among their peers, leaving many unaware of the gap between the actual drinking norms and perceived drinking norms of their community.

Because of this disparity, some research suggests that social norms marketing campaigns and normative feedback interventions can help correct this misperception to reduce dangerous habits among college students by using strong survey data to identify clear patterns of healthy behavioral norms.

“Many young people enter college believing that the vast majority of students drinks heavily,” DeJong said. “The perceptions we carry around about what others do can serve as major drivers of our decisions. Fact-based, social norms interventions can provide students with accurate norms data to help reduce alcohol use and promote safe behaviors among students.”

DeJong believes social norms marketing can be helpful in supporting environmental policy change and that the two approaches must operate together to have a significant impact. He says that the actual number of students that support policy changes is often much higher than most students perceive the number to be, particularly in relation to stricter enforcement of policies around alcohol-related violence. The pairing of multiple strategies provides a comprehensive approach for community-level change.

“Using social norms strategies to make people aware of the fact that the majority does engage in healthy and responsible behavior can set the stage for environmental strategies, especially if we collect data about student support for policy change and other programs,” DeJong said. “Environmental strategies are also a way for the community to declare its expectations.”

While research remains limited outside of higher education institutions, DeJong also believes social norms successes hold positive implications for non-collegiate communities and younger target audiences by using data to get out the message that most young people are making healthy choices. He also indicates that social norms do not need to be narrowly applied to youth, but also parents and other influential community members whose behaviors affect the culture of a community.

“For example, parents may think that, while they wouldn't mind getting a call from a parent whose child has been invited to a party at their home to check on whether adults are monitoring the party, other parents would mind receiving such a call, and therefore they don't check,” DeJong said. “A social norms campaign could be used to correct that misperception and thereby contribute to creating a safer social environment for youth.”

CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute is the only intensive, coalition-specific training opportunity of its kind, providing in-depth courses specifically designed to address a community leader’s biggest concerns and obstacles. “CADCA + Coalitions = Formula for Community Change,” the theme of CADCA’s 2011 Mid-Year Training Institute, provides an opportunity for you to attend a variety of lecture and “lab” sessions to expand your knowledge in prevention science and improve your skills in implementing evidence-based strategies. These in-depth courses are relevant for established as well as emerging coalitions. Half-day to two-day courses have been planned.