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A Social Norms Approach to Reducing Alcohol Consumption Among College Freshmen

The social norms media approach is an intervention designed to change college students’ drinking behavior by correcting false perceptions through normative feedback. The present study is a preliminary assessment of a social norms intervention’s attempt to decrease drinking amounts in students making the transition to university life. Data were collected on three groups of first-year students: (a) spring 1999 for baseline freshmen drinking norms, (b) summer 1999 to assess incoming freshmen drinking patterns, and (c) spring 2000 as a follow-up to assess effectiveness of the intervention for freshmen who entered fall 1999. Results indicated that the majority of freshmen students consistently drank in a moderate range (0–5 drinks), yet consistently overestimated their peers’ drinking levels. Incoming freshmen had significantly higher levels of drinking and greater misperceptions than baseline university freshmen. Results suggest the drinking rates significantly decreased for incoming freshmen from summer 1999 compared to spring 2000 follow-up norms. Also, the results suggest that normative feedback on college students’ drinking may be needed at the high school level to correct faulty perceptions prior to entering a university environment.