Are social norms campaigns really magic bullets? assessing the effects of students' misperceptions on drinking behavior.
In an attempt to curb excessive drinking on college campuses, many universities have turned to "social norms" marketing campaigns. Despite widespread acceptance among health educators, empirical results are clouded by measurement problems. This study, based on a random sample of 550 students, examined the effects of misperceptions of friends' and typical college students' drinking on one's drinking behavior. Results indicate that drinking behavior is positively related to perceptions of friends' drinking as suggested by the theory of planned behavior, which emphasizes subjective as opposed to social norms.
Campo
Shelly
S
Departments of Community and Behavioral Health, and Communication Studies, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. shelly-campo@uiowa.edu
Brossard
Dominique
D
Frazer
M Somjen
MS
Marchell
Timothy
T
Lewis
Deborah
D
Talbot
Janis
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009511:New England; D010379:Peer Group; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D012925:Social Conformity; D012931:Social Environment; D040241:Social Marketing; D012938:Social Perception; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities