Something to be ashamed of or part of our way of life? Attitudes to alcohol

Authors: Rachel Ormston & Catriona Webster

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Summary

This report presents findings from a module of questions on the 2007 Scottish Social Attitudes survey on public attitudes towards drinking and the role of alcohol in Scottish culture. The Scottish Social Attitudes survey is an independent survey run by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen). It aims to provide high quality survey data on a wide range of social and political issues in order to inform public policy and facilitate the study of public opinion. The 2007 survey involved 1,508 interviews with a random probability sample of the Scottish population.

Introduction

This report presents findings from a module of questions in the 2007 Scottish Social Attitudes survey on public attitudes towards drinking alcohol. The module was funded by the Scottish Government Alcohol Misuse Team. Its main aim is to provide a robust baseline of evidence on attitudes towards alcohol in Scotland in 2007, against which progress in attempts to change Scotland’s ‘drinking culture’ can be measured in future years.

The module was designed to provide robust baseline data on attitudes to alcohol in 2007, in advance of the publication of the Scottish Government’s long-term strategic approach to tackling alcohol problems. It explored issues including:

• Perceptions of the role of alcohol in Scottish culture

• Attitudes towards different kinds of alcohol misuse – in particular, ‘chronic’, ‘binge’ and ‘hazardous’ drinking

• Awareness and knowledge of government advice on sensible drinking and the actual alcohol content of different drinks.