title: Changes in Australian attitudes to alcohol policy: 1995-2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In 2009 Wilkinson and colleagues reported a downward trend in support for alcohol policy restrictions in Australia between 1995 and 2004. The aim of the current study is to examine more recent data on policy support in Australia, specifically for policies covering alcohol availability up to 2010, and to examine specific demographic shifts in support.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data was taken from the National Drug Strategy Household Surveys from 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010 (n = 80,846), primarily responses to attitude items on policy restriction and demographic questions. The effects of age, sex, drinking patterns and income over time on three items addressing restriction of alcohol availability were assessed using a factorial analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although availability items are among the less popular policy restrictions put forward in the National Drug Strategy Household Surveys, 2004 actually represented a turning point in the decrease in popularity, with an increase in support since then. Though some groups show consistently higher rates of support than others for policy restrictions, the rate of change in support was fairly uniform across demographic and drinking groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the lack of an obvious catalyst, there has been an increase in support for alcohol policy restriction as it relates to general availability and accessibility since 2004. Furthermore, this increase does not appear to be a reflection of a change in a specific group of people, but appears to be occurring across the Australian population.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, Turning Point, Melbourne, Australia; Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Callinan
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Room
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Livingston
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001290:Attitude; D001315:Australia; D006291:Health Policy / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D011639:Public Opinion
keywords: National Drug Strategy Household Survey; alcohol; alcohol policy; attitude; public opinion