Description
The project "Social movement Let’s drink less by half!" develops a social movement to enhance a shift in social norms regarding acceptability of drunkenness and drinking alcohol and smoking among youths. The approach aims to reach Estonian youth as well as adults closer to home - in youth organizations, home counties, through peer training and non-traditional small group seminars. Three different voices are used to reach audiences: 1) the wider public and adults through the “Let’s drink less by half” message, 2) teenagers with a message to avoid tobacco and alcohol altogether to enhance their own brain development and chances of success in the future, 3) parents with messages designed around information on brain development and the necessity to set limits to children around experimenting with tobacco and alcohol. The activities are divided into three levels: 1) mass-media communication and PR-strategy, 2) small group approach through seminars, public debates and access through youth organizations, 3) in each organization partners seek to develop a number of new young spokespersons and trainers ready to educate on alcohol and tobacco prevention.
Summary of project results
During the implementation of the campaign “Let’s drink less by half” an active alcohol policy discussion, which focused on alcohol policy reform (incl. availability and advertising regulation) and the Green Paper on alcohol was held in the Estonian society. The campaign provided a good ground for these changes and promoted behavioural change for improving individuals’ wellbeing and reducing risk behaviour. Campaign leaders were outstanding spokespersons. In the project large media campaign was implemented, spokespersons were trained to speak on the subject of alcohol, completed were several training formats, including parents, youth organisations. The main objectives of the project were to reduce risk behavior and social tolerance against binge drinking, underage alcohol and tobacco use, and to develop a social movement to enhance a shift in social norms regarding acceptability of drunkenness and drinking alcohol and smoking among youths, their nearby people, organizations and local communities. During a yearlong measurement period the acceptability of binge drinking showed some encouraging changes: - If in 2015, 81% of people said to be, or rather be able to celebrate without alcohol, then in 2016 87% of respondents confirmed that (representative sample to Estonian population). The percentage of those who rather don’t believe that they can enjoy the party without alcohol, is reduced by 5 percentage points from 13 to 8. - The proportion of people who like to be at the party sober, compared to 2015 is increased by 65% to 77%. - A clear sign of a normative change is that people perceive that they have more opportunity to establish a standard for drinking and intervention if it starts to go out of hand. If someone is drinking too much, 58% feel that they should intervene, as compared to 47% in 2015. The percentage of those who feel that they are able to curb the companion, has increased somewhat. - The share of those who worry that they will be strange if they do not drink at the party, has been reduced by 5%. Adults estimates of when young people are willing to consume alcohol, when young people should first talked to about the alcohol damage, and when should set clear limits on alcohol and tobacco use.
Summary of bilateral results