The National Centre on Education and Training in Addiction (NCETA) undertook a three-year national research project – examining the cultural factors that influence the drinking behaviours of young Australians.

The first stage of this project resulted in a literature review, published in 2008. The review collated data from a range of literature that address the topic. This comprehensive collection helped determine the scope, type and quality of studies published around this issue.

The follow up to this review, lead to the research phase. This phase involved examining the key issues that emerged from the literature review. A combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to do this.

The results of the Report included an examination of the socio-cultural influences on young people’s drinking. This was drawn from qualitative research gathered from ethnographic observations of leisure events, focus groups with young people and in-depth interviews with both young people and key stakeholders.

The study found that:

• Young people would prefer to face the negative consequences of being drunk than the social exclusion associated with staying sober.
• Those who choose not to drink have to come up with several reasons why they weren’t drinking.
• To fit in, young people expect that all members of the group will drink to the same level of intoxication. However, exclusion is not just applied to those who don’t drink – it is also a potential consequence for those who drink too much.

This analysis provides useful insights to better understand the influences of young people’s drinking in the 14-24 year age range.

Electronic copies of this report are available on this page under ‘Resources’. Free hard copies can be requested via info@drinkwise.org.au.