Introduction to Social Norms and Social Norms Interventions

Social norms can be conceptualized in several ways. Descriptive norms are based on actual drinking rates within a given population. Injunctive norms are based on people’s perceptions of what is “acceptable behavior” in a given population. Although the basic research concerning the relationship between norms and drinking is fairly complex, some basic trends can be identified:

1. People tend to misperceive descriptive norms. That is, people tend to overestimate the amount of alcohol the “average” person in a population consumes. Such misperceptions tend to get smaller when people are asked to estimate the alcohol consumption of their friends.
2. Injunctive norms are most important when they are framed in ways that are meaningful to the individual. Norms related to close friends or groups with which an individual identifies are more powerful predictors of behavior than general norms.
3. In general, both descriptive and injunctive norms have been shown to predict drinking behavior.

Given the importance of social norms to drinking behavior, two major approaches in using normative information to prevent alcohol-related problems have been developed:

1. At the population level, Social Norms Marketing uses mass media approaches to correct normative misperceptions. Conceptually these approaches assume that misperceptions of alcohol norms lead to increased drinking. Once such misperceptions are corrected, drinking rates will gradually decline as healthier drinking norms become accepted.
2. At the individual or small group level, Normative Feedback Interventions tend to target heavier or moderate drinkers. Such interventions can be delivered face-to-face or via computer application. They often include some alcohol-related information (an educational component) and are delivered in a manner consistent with motivational interviewing.

The research supporting the effectiveness of Social Norms Marketing is mixed and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has identified these approaches as “conceptually promising” but unproven (a Tier 3 approach). Based on the most current science, these approaches might have a mild protective effect in certain environments (e.g., smaller schools with homogenous populations; schools in areas with few bars).

In contrast, Normative Feedback Interventions have been shown to be effective by numerous scientific studies and are considered Tier 1 (effective for college students) by NIAAA. These interventions, however, tend to fall into the category of individually based secondary prevention.