A Multifaceted Social Norms Approach to Reduce High-Risk Drinking: Lessons from Hobart and William Smith Colleges

How much do college students really drink on an average Friday night? The answer may be surprising—particularly to other college students. Students often overestimate how often, how much, and how many of their peers drink and then adjust their own behaviors accordingly. A Multifaceted Social Norms Approach to Reduce High-Risk Drinking: Lessons from Hobart and William Smith College, a new publication from HHD’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug

case study for other campusesseeking innovative methods to reduce problem drinking.

Starting in 1995, Hobart and William Smith College (HWS) began testing the social norms approach on campus to see if communicating accurate norms about actual student drinking behavior could reduce alcohol use. The comprehensive campaign combined campus data collection, print media, electronic media, curriculum development, and other campus activities.

The project began with careful research and data collection to discover the norms of the community. The majority of students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges drink little or no alcohol and have “positive, moderate attitudes” about drinking, says H. Wesley Perkins. “But students don’t always act on their own attitudes,” because they think other students don’t.

The project launched a print media campaign featuring three series of posters and newspaper advertisements, often placed “strategically following alcohol-related incidents on campus.” One poster proclaimed: “Ever hear someone say ‘Everybody drinks a lot at parties’? In reality, the majority of HWS students drink 1–4 drinks or do not drink at all!” The campaign distributed free items featuring statements like “The majority of HWS students drink 2 days or less per week or do not drink at all.”

To further pique interest in the campaign, organizers launched a “campus mystery” via posters and the campus newspaper. What is the meaning of “2/3=1/4”? Clues were provided in the newspapers, and eventually the answer was revealed: 2/3 of HWS students drink only 1/4 of the alcohol consumed. In other words, a small group is consuming the bulk of the alcohol.

The results of the campaign were striking. For example, the study revealed a 41 percent increase in the number of students who correctly perceived the campus drinking norm as moderate. Actual drinking habits changed as well: between 1995 and 2000, there was an 18 percent decrease in the frequency of student drinking in a two week period, and a 22 percent decrease in the average number of drinks consumed in a typical week.