General FAQ

JUST THE FACTS Washington University ’s Social Norms Campaign

The social norms approach uses a variety of methods to correct negative misperceptions (usually overestimations of use), and to identify, model, and promote the healthy, protective behaviors that are the actual norm in a given population. When properly conducted, it is an evidence-based, data-driven process, and a very cost-effective method of achieving large-scale positive results. Read the answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) here:

1. Question:  What are social norms? Answer: Social norms are people's beliefs about the behavior that is expected of them in a particular social context. People's perceptions of social norms are often a good predictor of what they will say and do.
2. Question:  What is the connection between social norms and drinking behavior? Answer: Surveys of college students – including WU students – reveal that most students greatly overestimate the amount of high-risk drinking that occurs on their campus and on college campuses in general. Based on this misperception, students may conclude that high-risk drinking is the social norm, which in turn may lead them to drink more than they would have. In other words, the misperception may cause students to believe they are both justified and pressured to consume large amounts of alcohol in order to be like other students.
3. Question:  What is social marketing? Answer: Social marketing is the application of commercial marketing and advertising principles to the design and implementation of mass media campaigns to advance social causes. Like commercial marketing, social marketing uses research to precisely tailor messages for a particular target audience.
4. Question:  What is a social norms marketing campaign? Answer: If misperceived norms are leading to increased drinking behavior, it makes sense that informing students of actual drinking norms may reduce student drinking. A social norms marketing campaign about high-risk drinking attempts to correct student misperceptions of drinking norms to reflect actual drinking patterns on campus. Social norms is the topic of the campaign, while social marketing is the process used to disseminate information about campus norms.
5. Question: What does “2 out of 3 WU students drank 4 or fewer drinks the last time they partied…” mean? Answer: The majority of Washington University students are making moderate decisions about alcohol.
6. Question: Whyshould I believe this message? It doesn’t sound accurate. Answer: WU students consume less alcohol than their peers think they do. Here’s why: Heavy drinking is very visible and dramatic so it gets lots of attention. It leads to the behavior students are most likely to hear about or witness, so it seems like everyone is doing it.Think about the last party you went to on campus with about 100 people. You might say that “everyone was wasted.” Why do you say that? Perhaps because someone got in a fight, someone threw up, someone took his clothes off, and these things drew your attention. Well, think about how many people did those things. Was it really everyone? Was it the majority? Or was it a small number of people who did some remarkable things? What was everyone else doing? Many may have been drinking, but their behavior was not remarkable. They were having conversations, dancing, etc. Some were not drinking, but still having a good time at the party. Most were making moderate choices and behaving in a way that did not bother or harm anyone. The Just the Facts campaign provides students with reliable data about their peers’ drinking behaviors. With this information, students are better able to make their own decisions about their own alcohol use.
7. Question: Where do the statistics come from? Answer: The statistics presented in the Just the Facts campaign are based on information provided by WU students in these surveys:

• the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) in spring 2007 and fall 2004. Health Promotion Services administered the NCHA through e-mail.
• AlcoholEdu in 2006 and 2005. Outside the Classroom, Inc. administered the survey to each freshman class.
• the Survey of College Alcohol Norms and Behavior (SCANB) in 2004, 2003, and 2003. The Education Development Center (EDC) administered the SCANB survey to a random sampling of WU students through the U.S. Mail as part of an NIH-funded study in which we participated called the Social Norms Marketing Research Project (SNMRP).

All of these surveys showed consistent results on the question of how many drinks students drink when they party. For more information on the sampling techniques and research and analysis protocol, see survey FAQ.

8. Question: Who is conducting this campaign? Answer: Betsy Foy, Substance Abuse Specialist at Student Health Services, leads the advisory committee responsible for the campaign. Committee members include WU students, faculty, and staff members representing Residential Life, Greek Life, Campus Life, Student Health Services, Athletics, and each school.
9. Question: How does “Just the Facts” work? Answer: Researchers have established that college students tend to grossly overestimate the number of their peers who engage in high-risk alcohol consumption. This misperception is believed to influence students to drink more heavily by changing their perceptions of normative expectations (social norms) around drinking. In other words, students may feel pressured to drink heavily because they believe that “everyone else is doing it.” The basic idea behind this type of marketing campaign is to turn this dynamic around by using campus-based media to inform students about the true levels of alcohol consumption among their peers. The actual levels of alcohol consumption among college students are much lower than students perceive them to be. The hypothesis: Having accurate information (just the facts) about peers’ alcohol use leads to changes in perceptions of drinking norms on campus, and this, in turn, may lead to more students making informed decisions about their own behavior and fewer students engaging in high-risk drinking.
10. Question: Why “4 or fewer”? Answer: You could also say “0 to 4.” Basically, most WU students said on the survey that when they socialize where alcohol is present, they have zero drinks, one drink, two drinks, three drinks, or at most four drinks. This also means that some students have more than four when they party, but they are in the minority. Many factors contribute to whether someone is drinking a dangerous amount, including the speed at which drinks are consumed, the height and weight of the person, whether he or she has eaten recently, and various medical conditions. In general, the more we drink, the more likely we are to experience negative consequences as a result of drinking. The intent of this message is merely to point out that most WU students are moderate, light, or non-drinkers. Knowing this statistic about peers can help some students feel confident about their choice to drink moderately or not at all.
11. Question: F ourdrinks is a lot. Are you condoning drinking? Answer: Remember this includes students who do not drink and those who have one, two, or three when they go out. These are the facts. Students think most of their peers are drinking more than four, so these facts should not encourage them to increase their consumption. This campaign is aimed at reducing -- not condoning or promoting -- drinking. Because we are used to more traditional approaches that have a clear “Don’t drink” message, this may seem strange. Again, the idea is to give people the facts and let them make their own decisions about their own behavior.
12. Question:What about students who are not yet 21? Are you saying it is fine for them to drink? Answer: The campaign is about what students actually do -- not what they should do or should not do.
13. Question:Why is WU doing this? Answer: Several colleges and universities have implemented marketing campaigns based on the social norms theory with promising results. WU had the privilege of participating in the only rigorous, national study of the efficacy of the social norms marketing approach (the SNMRP mentioned above). Results showed a protective effect; well-implemented campaigns slowed the rate of increase in dangerous drinking during the college years. By promoting student health in this way, we hope to see an improved atmosphere and learning environment on campus in general.
14. Question: Is this WU’s only attempt at a solution? Answer: No. There are several efforts underway. This campaign is not a solution on its own. This approach addresses the social atmosphere in which students make decisions about drinking. WU is committed to implementing a variety of promising practices and research-based approaches to improve the health of our community.
15. Question: How can I get involved? Answer: We would really appreciate any amount of time or support you are willing to give. Contact Betsy Foy at 935-7836.