Drinking Survey Results
The Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) has recently released the results of a survey on NZers' drinking habits. The survey was done by BRC Marketing and Social Research and is called "The Way We Drink: A Profile of Drinking Culture In New Zealand." The results, to say the least, are sobering.
The research segments all NZ adults (18 + years) into people who:
- don't drink at all - "non-drinkers" (19 percent of the population);
- consciously limit their intake - "conscious moderators" (29 percent of the population);
- are unable to drink as much as they would like to, for a range of reasons - "constrained binge drinkers" (23 percent of the population); and
- have no restrictions on their drinking - "uninhibited binge drinkers" (29 percent of the population).
The survey showed that "uninhibited binge drinkers" tend to drink two or three times a week, with 14 percent drinking between seven and 10 drinks the last time they drank and an extremely high 11 percent drinking more than 11 drinks. Uninhibited binge drinkers are most likely to be able to afford as much alcohol as they want. They are the group least likely to identify any reasons to modify their drinking behaviour or attitudes.
"Constrained binge drinkers" tend to drink five or more cans of beer once a week, at home or at a friend's place. Despite identifying reasons why they would constrain their drinking, they are still drinking heavily. In fact constrained binge drinkers are more likely to have had nine or more average glasses of alcohol (20 percent) than "uninhibited binge drinkers" (15 percent). Of concern is evidence that constrained binge drinkers would join the uninhibited binge drinkers if they could afford more alcohol and had fewer responsibilities.
The survey shows that drinking in a risky way is not just the behaviour of the very young or the dependent drinker. NZers in all walks of life, all ethnicities, urban and rural, men and women, told the surveyors that getting drunk is okay, with the majority reporting they drink in a risky way. These are some of the survey's main findings.
White Collar Workers the Real Binge Drinkers. The NZ binge drinker is most likely to be a Pakeha, urban, male of 30 years or older, with a household income over $70,000. Basically, the wealthier we are, the more we drink; and those who can't afford to drink as much, would if they could.
Women Match Men in Binge Drinking. In NZ shows that 650,000 women accept drunkenness as socially acceptable with 17 percent of adult women saying they drank more than seven average drinks "on their last drinking occasion".
Adult women who binge drink tend to be Pakeha, in full time employment and have a personal or household income between $30,000 and $70,000. They are usually 25 years of age and over, have children between the ages of five and 15 years and live in a large town or city. They usually drink at home between one and three times a week, and over a third have more than five drinks at any one time.
Although women's drinking habits are matching men, women are concerned about the long-term effects of alcohol on their physical well-being and worry that they forget what they were doing when they are drunk. What concerns ALAC is that these inhibitors are not having a significant impact on women's drinking behaviours.
Young People Drink Like Adults. Young people, aged 12 to 17 years, are 20 percent more likely than adults, aged 18 and over, to believe that it is okay to get drunk, as long as it is not every day. A quarter of young people say they drink to get drunk. They are, however, 20 percent less likely than adults to be supportive of drinking a small amount of alcohol every day.
Compared with adults, young people are more likely to consume larger amounts of liquor in one sitting. Young people are more likely than adults to have had five or six average glasses (10 percent compared with six percent of adults) or had more than 10 average glasses the last time they drank (12 percent compared with eight percent of adults).
Only Half of Parents Know When Their Children Drink. In NZ over half the young people, 12 to 17 years of age, who binge drink socially say it is their parents who gave them the alcohol to drink. Yet, worryingly, 48 percent of young people reported they are not supervised by an adult when they drink.
There is a strong perception among young people that their parents are okay with their drinking habits. Eighty percent of all young people, including 80 percent of binge drinkers, said that their parents know they drink and are okay about it. They cite their parents' supplying them with alcohol as proof of this.
Maori Drink Less Often but More Heavily than Most NZers. Survey results show that Maori are:
- less likely to be regular drinkers - 39 percent of Maori drank at least once a week compared with 56 percent of all NZ adults; and
- more likely to have drunk more than 10 glasses on the last drinking occasion - 22 percent of Maori compared with eight percent all NZ adults.
- adult Maori population (18+ years) can be divided into people who:
- don't drink at all - "non-drinkers" (18 percent of Maori adults compared with 19 percent of all NZ adults);
- are aware of how much they are drinking - "conscious moderators" (19 percent of Maori adults compared with 29 percent of all NZ adults);
- are unable to drink as much as they would like to for a variety of reasons - "constrained binge drinkers" (38 percent of Maori adults compared with 23 percent of NZ adults); and
- have no restrictions on their drinking - "uninhibited binge drinkers" (25 percent of Maori adults compared with 29 percent of NZ adults).
Pacific People Highest Non-drinkers in NZ, But.... Pacific people are less likely to drink at all but when they do drink, they drink heavily, the survey shows. Other findings show that Pacific people are:
- more likely to be non-drinkers - 46 percent of Pacific people compared with 19 percent of all NZ adults;
- less likely to have been early starters - 32 percent of Pacific people did not start drinking more than the occasional sip until they were 20 years compared with 28 percent of all adult NZers;
- less likely to be regular drinkers - 33 percent of Pacific people drink at least once a week compared with 56 percent of all adult NZers; and
- more likely to have drunk more than 10 glasses on the last drinking occasion - 22 percent of Pacific people compared with eight percent of all adult NZers.
On the basis of their beliefs, attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol, NZ's adult Pacific population (18+ years) can be divided into people who:
- don't drink at all - "non-drinkers" (46 percent of Pacific adults compared with 19 percent of all NZ adults);
- are aware of how much they are drinking. - "conscious moderators" (14 percent of Pacific adults compared with 29 percent of all NZ adults);
- are unable to drink as much as they would like to for a variety of reasons - "constrained binge drinkers" (10 percent of Pacific adults compared with 23 percent of NZ adults); and
- have no restrictions on their drinking - "uninhibited binge drinkers" (31 percent of Pacific adults compared with 29 percent of NZ adults).
A copy of the survey findings can be accessed from: http://www.alcohol.org.nz/resources/publications/index.html |
Thanks to ALAC
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