The Consequences of Alcohol Advertising and Alcohol Availability on Drinking

Abstract:

The levels at which young adults consume alcohol in today’s modern world is steadily on the rise, especially in recent years. These high levels of alcohol drinking patterns in teenagers and young adults can be affected by the environment around them, the availability and prices of alcohol and how alcohol products are marketed towards them. This study plans examining previous research on alcohol consumption between the ages of 15 years to 23 years with the purpose of answering two primary questions.

1. What consequence does the price of alcohol and its availability have on drinking tendencies of teenagers and young adults?
2. What consequence does alcohol marketing campaigns have on drinking tendencies of teenagers and young adults?

Intro:

The levels that teenagers and adults in their early twenties consume alcohol has be increasing year after year since the middle of the 90s (HMRC 2007). The United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics in 2007 stated that boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 14 saw a rise in alcohol consumption of 64%. For the boys alone, there was a 43% rise in levels alcohol consumed and for the girls there was an overwhelming 84% rise. Furthermore, the amount of alcohol that is bring drank in the UK is of great concern to society as they have the biggest amount of ‘binge drinking’ amongst teenagers in the whole of Europe (Hibell et al 2009).

These statistics are also very alike that of United states where there is a comparable trend with college students with that of the UK with nearly 40% of whom are binge drinkers.(Kuo et al 2003) According to the NHS binge drinking is “drinking lots of alcohol in a short space of time or drinking to get drunk’’. There are many health issues and social problems that can arise among teenagers and adults in their early twenties from excessive levels of alcohol drinking.

In relation to health, Gordon et al (2011) states that high levels of alcohol consumption is directly correlated to a rise in young people being admitted to the hospital. In relation to society, being under the influence can lead to a rise in criminal activity. Examples of this include, assault and vandalism to property. (Kuo et al 2003). High levels of alcohol consumption between teenage years and young adults is a massive factor for future dependence on alcohol, which in turn can lead to alcoholism. Alcoholism is directly linked to over 60 chronic illnesses including cancer, liver disease, cardiovascular disease and brain damage. (Pubs.niaaa.nih.gov, 2019)

One of the leading indicators connected to a rise alcohol consumption in teenagers and adults in their early twenties is due to the marketing of alcohol products which are directly targeted to these individuals with appealing campaigns through various different channels, from the modern use of social media to the traditional use of billboards. This along with how alcohol seems to be more available to teenagers and adults in their early twenties, than ever before.

Alcohol Availability & Pricing:

These individuals, in their early twenties and teenage years are deeply affected by the society that they live in (Babor et al 2003). Along with this, the fact that it’s relatively easy for young people to get their hands on alcohol products as well as the relatively low price that it costs in relation to their expenditure means that these are important determinants of an increase in consumption of alcohol for teenagers and adults and adults in their early twenties. There are a lot of businesses, who sell products containing alcohol that employ various marketing techniques. These marketing techniques are targeted towards young people which acts to affect their desire for the product by making it more attractive to the consumer. This can be illustrated with the use of price promotions in store which is popular in many establishments (Stockwell et al 1992) as well as television adverts of young people in bars/clubs having fun with each other.

Establishments that sell alcohol near college campuses also makes it much easier for students to avail of their products which are explicitly targeted towards them. This factor is only fuelling the rise in binge drinking for teenagers and young adults. (Kuo et al 2003). Leavy and Shefflin stated in 1983 that the ease of requiring alcohol is highly correlated with a rise in consumption patterns for people of all ages in society, and not just teenagers and young adults. A long with this, price is also a major factor, especially for students where there is a decrease in price, the demand for that product will increase. Alcohol selling businesses situated near colleges are benefitting from these circumstances using different marketing techniques and promotions to persuade young people to purchase their alcohol goods. (Chaloupka & Wechsler 1996). For instance, the well know promotion of ‘Happy hour’ has seen consumption levels double within that promotion, regardless of whether the person drinks heavily or not (Kuo et al 2003).

The research that Kuo et al mainly discovered is that a surrounding area that actively advertises an exuberance of alcohol product consumption can be seen at an alarming rate in a number of colleges in America. In establishments that were nearby campuses, that sold alcohol products, price cuts and sales promotions were excessively widespread. In fact, over the last twenty years, there had been a significant rise in the level of advertising throughout all of America. Schoenfeld et al (1999) states that ratio of marketing to sales of products containing alcohol is three times greater than that of an average product that does not contain alcohol.

Almost 67% of establishments on college campuses and 59% of establishments nearby college campuses provided a promotion in some form. Two of which are associated with a rise in excessive binge drinking for college students (kuo et al 2003). When examining the connection of both the location of establishments that sell alcohol near campuses and high levels of binge drinking college students compared to college students who do not binge drink, there isn’t a change for both of them. For that reason, it can be an indication that it is the environment in which alcohol is available around and inside college campuses, combined with the select attitudes towards alcohol of different college students which ultimately leads to the primary reason for a rise in binge drinking.

Effects of Alcohol Marketing on Drinking Habits:

The way in which alcohol is branded, in today’s modern world, is evident in most people’s lives. You can see recognizable alcohol brands almost everywhere, from the entertainment industry to sporting associations by a means of sponsorships and different partnerships. (Casswell et al 2004).

Casswell and Zhang (1998) state that if a young individual of 18 years, has incorporated a connection with some sort of alcohol product or brand, that it is more probable that they will be heavier drinkers then that of a person who hasn’t established a connection with a brand of the same age. Gordon et al (2011) also discovered a similar pattern that people’s knowledge and admiration of different marketing methods for alcohol products are strongly correlated with an increase in alcohol consumption. There are numerous studies which point to the fact that having a relationship with alcohol brands and consumption of their products begins in young adults.

Another study analyses the link between individuals aged 12 to 13 years old and the effects of being subjected to drinking at this age (Ellickson et al 2005). They discovered that almost 48% of people that didn’t consume alcohol, two years on they were consuming it with alcohol marketing such as television adverts, in shop advertising and newspaper advertising all being strongly correlated with the higher levels of alcohol consumed for these individuals in adolescence.

Another study conducted by Connolly et al (1994) examined the effects of being exposed to alcohol brand and their marketing techniques at the ages of 18, and how this impacted their alcohol consumption levels. They were correct in their prediction in finding that males who were subjected to alcohol marketing from the age of 15, consumed more alcohol then those that were not subjected to alcohol marketing at the same age. As well as this. Individuals that take a liking to different alcohol brands, especially amongst individuals who prefer beer is positively linked to higher levels of alcohol consumption at the age of 21.

According to Smith and Foxcroft (2009), a considerable amount of alcohol marketing was targeted towards television programmes which are watched by teenagers which increases their exposure to these alcohol brands. There are number of studies that examines the ramifications that television adverts have on younger people’s attitudes toward alcohol and how it affects their levels of consumption. Smith et al (2004) conducted a study which discovered a standard level for alcohol consumption among individuals in adultescence. 17% young individuals aged from 12 years to 13 stated that they drank beer while 15% stated that they drank wine all of which was in the preceding month. On top of this, 8% of these children stated that they consumed alcohol 3 times or more within that same time. At the 12-month inquiry, it can be seen that watching television which include ads with alcohol products resulted in a 43% rise in the levels of beer being consumed (Stacey et al 2004).

Robinson et al (1998) discovered that for an increased hour of television viewing for each day, will lead to a 9.5% rise in alcohol consumed in the subsequent year. A similar study to this by Sargent et al (2006) found that for an extra hour watched of a movie containing alcohol consistently, will lead to a rise in alcohol consumed by 15%.

The amount of alcoholic drinks consumed by someone is massively related with the amount of alcohol marketing that they are exposed to. In todays modern world, media platforms with the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, are replacing the more traditional methods of marketing a product, with Hartigan and Coe (2012) stating that these social media platforms is where most alphol branding can be seen by teenagers and young adults.

As discussed previously, the way in which alcohol is marketed is longer limited to that of traditional tv adverts, instead it has grown, by integrating with sports sponsorships as well as social media. Ellickson et al (2005) stated that increased viewing of alcohol adverts through sporting events in teenagers is highly correlated to with increased levels of consumption as they get older. Anderson et al (2006) discovered that 46% of people who consume alcohol, own some sort of clothing which has an alcohol brand. This may also be down to the fact that so many sports teams have alcohol brands as sponsorships on their jerseys which indicates the significance of the relationship of alcohol brands and sports teams.

Conclusion:

The research conducted that has been examined above, gives an understanding of the impacts that the marketing of alcohol products and its availability have on the prevalence of an increase in alcohol consumption for teenagers and young adults. Particularly the findings of Kuo et al who have given valuable data on how companies try to make alcohol attractive to allure young individuals to purchase their products which in turn leads to a rise in levels of alcohol consumption for these individuals. As well as this, marketing through TV adverts and media platforms are having a seriously negative influence on future drinking habits for these teenagers and young adults, with research indicating a significant increase in their levels of alcohol consumption as they progress through life. This is significantly associated to young people’s exposure to marketing of alcohol brands which is discussed by Stacy et al (2004). The disagreement encircling the relationship between advertisement of alcohol products at a young age and their future habits f alcohol consumption is brilliantly summarized by Hastings et al (2005), and they state that there won’t ever be a definitive explanation as the connection between the two is far too complicated with many other complex factors affecting someone’s levels of alcohol being consumed.

Research Questions

The two primary research questions in which will be examined:

1. What consequence does the price of alcohol and its availability have on drinking tendencies of teenagers and adults in their early twenties?
2. What consequence does alcohol marketing campaigns have on drinking tendencies of teenagers and adults in their early twenties?

The two primary research questions that will be examined, also consist of different secondary research questions. This will contribute to a more comprehensive and accurate depiction of the different trends that contribute to an increase in drinking habits for teenagers and adults in their early twenties. By a means of determining the availability of alcohol for young people, as well as examining the different prices for these products which are offered through special offers and promotions, the effects of an increase in alcohol consumption can be identified, along with examining how the locations of establishments that sell alcohol can increase levels of alcohol consumption.

Furthermore, by examining how an increase in alcohol consumption is impacted by alcohol marketing, the consequences of an array of marketing techniques will be analysed (Examples of these include TV adverts, media platforms, sports sponsorships, etc.) on how they affect alcohol consumption and people’s different perceptions of alcohol brands. Through this, there becomes a clearer explanation as to what stage of life these alcohol marketing techniques begin to affect an individual’s drinking habits. By conducting this research, the aim is to get a more comprehensive observation as to why the prevalence of peoples drinking habits are increasing which is most common with teenagers and young adults.

Research Methods

The layout of this stud is to be a prospective cohort study. Participants taking part will range from 15 years of age until 19 years of age. They will all be examined using a questionnaire as well as one on one interviews to achieve an even deeper understanding of the participants though process how their relationship with alcohol has developed. There will be follows up for the same participants every year for four years in a row. This study will be located in cork and the participants will be asked from both city and county to gain a broader variation of individuals. For the one on one interviews, participants will be randomly chosen from the questionnaire with aim of interviewing 50 individuals. This whole study will be completely anonymous to maintain the participants privacy. The overall data required will be used to examine how peoples drinking habits change over time and how different factors influence their levels of consumption

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