Florida State University (FSU)

From 2002 to 2005 there has been a 22% reduction in high-risk drinking (i.e., those drinking 5+ during their last party or social occasion). Consequently, there has been a 23% increase in the number of students who report moderate drinking (i.e., 1-4 drinks), as well as a 27% increase in the number of students who report that they abstain from drinking.

Project Description

Florida State University (FSU) is a large public institution with an enrollment of approximately 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students. In January 2002, The Real Project, an organization sponsored by the Florida Center for Prevention Research (FCPR), began a social norms marketing campaign to correct misperceptions about student alcohol use and reinforce healthy, protective norms.

Project Funding Source

The NSNRC grant is funded through an unrestricted gift from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation.

Baseline Data

Baseline data from the National College Health Assessment Survey (NCHA) revealed that 49.4% of students surveyed reported having four of fewer drinks the last time they partied/socialized; however, their perception was that only 24.7% of their peers were drinking a similar amount. In addition, 17.3% reported abstaining from drinking, while they perceived that only 1% of their peers were abstaining.

Primary Normative Messages
Download PowerPoint Presentation

• Year 1 Creative Strategy “Celebrating the University’s Strengths”
  (see PowerPoint Slide 1)
• Year 2 Creative Strategy “Typical Student”
  (see PowerPoint Slide 2)
• Year 3 Creative Strategy “Skeptical Bubble”
  Our thanks to Dr. Linda Hancock from whom we ‘borrowed’ the concept.
  (see PowerPoint Slide 3)

Primary Marketing Methods

Print Media: 1/2 page four-color and B/W ads in school newspaper, 18 –1/2 x 11 four-color bus cards on campus buses and for use as posters at authorized posting locations around campus, 8x10 four-color prints of ads for distribution in freshman residence halls

Electronic Media: Backgrounds and screen savers on computer in campus computer labs

Outdoor: Billboards at locations around campus with high student traffic.

Evaluation

A cross-sectional study of undergraduate students is completed annually in the spring using the NCHA survey. Approximately 4,500 students are randomly selected from a list of current undergraduates provided by the registrar in the spring semester. Undergraduate students less than age 18 and greater than age 26 are excluded from the sampling frame, as will those students who are participating in the longitudinal study described below. Students selected to participate receive an introductory letter followed by a mail survey with postage-paid response included. Follow up mailings to increase sample size are accomplished if needed. Ten fifty-dollar prizes are awarded at the conclusion of each survey period as an incentive to increase return rates.

Undergraduates who participated in a previous iteration of the NCHA survey are invited to participate in a longitudinal study of behavior and perception of student norms related to alcohol use. Participants receive an introductory letter followed by the NCHA survey tool at the same time as the cross-sectional study is implemented. Responses are included in the overall study results. Participants in the longitudinal study are surveyed as long as they remain undergraduate students at FSU for the duration of the study. In addition, non-respondents receive a follow-up mailing, and will continue to be surveyed in subsequent years.

Project Results (Comparison of 2002-2005 NCHA Data)

From 2002 to 2005 there has been a 22% reduction in high-risk drinking (i.e., those drinking 5+ during their last party or social occasion). Consequently, there has been a 23% increase in the number of students who report moderate drinking (i.e., 1-4 drinks), as well as a 27% increase in the number of students who report that they abstain from drinking.

Further Information