Curriculum, Collateral and Collaboration: Addressing Alcohol and Social Norms in an Australian High School Setting

There is a commonly held perception that the majority of Australian teenagers drink alcohol, and a perceived ‘social norm’ among teenagers that their peers are drinkers and expect them to be drinkers. However, results of the Australian Secondary Schools Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) Survey, conducted every three years since 1984, show a decline in the proportion of teenagers who are regular drinkers; from 30% of 12-15 year olds in 1984 to 11% in 2011, and 50% of 16-17 years olds in 1984 down to 33% in 2011 (White & Bariola, 2012).

The ‘Alcohol and Social Norms Project’ conducted in a municipal high school aims to correct misperceptions held by students and the school community regarding teenagers and alcohol and to foster an environment which supports young people’s decisions not to drink. That is, this social norms campaign is based on the evidence that the harmful behaviour of underage drinking occurs far less than what most people believe; it is indeed these beliefs themselves which have been found to be the precursor to behavioural intention and behaviour (Azjen, 1981) which is the focus of this paper.