In 2013/14, 20% of New Zealanders aged 15 years or more who drank alcohol in the past year reported a potentially hazardous alcohol consumption pattern. People’s perceptions of the acceptability and prevalence of risky alcohol consumption may influence their own intentions and behaviour. This fact sheet examines New Zealand adults’ perceptions about the acceptability of risky drinking, and the existence of a risky drinking culture.
Methodology
The 2013 Attitudes and Behaviour towards Alcohol Survey (ABAS 2013) included questions that assessed attitudes about the acceptability of risky drinking and drinking culture in New Zealand. Responses were collected on a five-point scale ranging from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’.
Responses to these questions by adult respondents (age 18 years and over, n=3,821) were compared by gender, ethnicity, age and risky drinking behaviour. Statistically significant differences (p < .05) between groups are reported.
Key Results
• Although the majority of New Zealanders do not agree that getting drunk is acceptable, over onehalf believe that binge drinking is part of New Zealand’s culture.
• No definition of “binge drinking” was provided to respondents in the survey. Responses may reflect differences in interpretation of what “binge drinking culture” means. However, the responses show that the existence of such a culture in New Zealand is widely perceived.
• Attitudes about the acceptability of drunkenness vary by age, with younger adults the most likely to agree that getting drunk in some circumstances is acceptable.
• Those who drink more heavily themselves are more likely to agree that it is acceptable to get drunk sometimes. However, this attitude is not reported by all heavy drinkers. Large proportions of those who report binge drinking themselves either disagreed with, or expressed no opinion about, the idea that getting drunk is acceptable.
• The wording of the two acceptability questions differed, with one (“it is ok”) implying the opinion of the respondents and the other (“it is acceptable”) implying the respondent’s perception of acceptance by society as a whole. However, responses to these questions were similar, indicating that respondents interpreted and answered them from the same perspective.