Mapping Australian public opinion on alcohol policies in the new millenium (original) (raw)
Related papers
Drug and Alcohol Review, 2009
Introduction and Aims. Drawing on 16 items in the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), the paper explores the degree to which Australian public opinion towards different alcohol policies cohere or diverge, and the social location of support for and resistance to more restrictive alcohol controls. Variations in support for particular policies by demographic groups, across states and territories and among those with difference drinking patterns are explored. The extent and direction in which attitudes have changed over time was determined. Design and Methods. Sixteen items from the 2004 NDSHS were subjected to factor analysis. Both a single factor and a four-factor solution were derived and became the dependent variables for state/territory comparisons and multiple regression analyses determining the predictive power of respondents demographics and drinking behaviour. Trends over time in alcohol policy attitudes used the 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004 NDSHS. Results. More severe penalties against drink driving and stricter laws against serving customers who were drunk had the strongest support while policies that controlled accessibility to alcohol such as reducing trading hours received the least support. For all policies support was greater among females, older respondents and those drinking less. The individual's drinking pattern was as strong, and in some cases a stronger predictor of support than gender and age. Discussion and Conclusions. While support for the majority of the alcohol policies decreased over the 11-year period since 1993, attitudes may be influenced and changed over a shorter period of time.[Wilkinson C, Room R, Livingston M. Mapping Australian public opinion on alcohol policies in the new millennium. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009]
Mapping Australian public opinion on alcohol policies in the new millennium
Drug and Alcohol Review, 2009
Introduction and Aims. Drawing on 16 items in the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), the paper explores the degree to which Australian public opinion towards different alcohol policies cohere or diverge, and the social location of support for and resistance to more restrictive alcohol controls. Variations in support for particular policies by demographic groups, across states and territories and among those with difference drinking patterns are explored.The extent and direction in which attitudes have changed over time was determined. Design and Methods. Sixteen items from the 2004 NDSHS were subjected to factor analysis. Both a single factor and a four-factor solution were derived and became the dependent variables for state/territory comparisons and multiple regression analyses determining the predictive power of respondents demographics and drinking behaviour.Trends over time in alcohol policy attitudes used Results. More severe penalties against drink driving and stricter laws against serving customers who were drunk had the strongest support while policies that controlled accessibility to alcohol such as reducing trading hours received the least support. For all policies support was greater among females, older respondents and those drinking less.The individual's drinking pattern was as strong, and in some cases a stronger predictor of support than gender and age. Discussion and Conclusions. While support for the majority of the alcohol policies decreased over the 11-year period since 1993, attitudes may be influenced and changed over a shorter period of time. [Wilkinson C, Room R, Livingston M. Mapping Australian public opinion on alcohol policies in the new millennium. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009;28:263-274]
A review of public opinion towards alcohol controls in Australia
BMC Public Health, 2011
Background: Increasing concern about the negative impact of alcohol on the Australian community has renewed calls for tighter regulatory controls. This paper reviews levels of and trends in public support for liquor control regulations, regulation of alcohol promotions, and alcohol pricing and taxation reforms in Australia between 1998 and 2009. Methods: Six electronic databases and twenty public health and alcohol organisation websites were searched for research literature, reports and media releases describing levels of public support for alcohol controls. Only studies which randomly selected participants were included. Results: Twenty-one studies were included in the review. The majority of the Australian public support most proposed alcohol controls. Levels of support are divided between targeted and universal controls. Conclusions: Implementation of targeted alcohol policies is likely to be strongly supported by the Australian public, but universal controls are liable to be unpopular. Policy makers are provided with insights into factors likely to be associated with higher public support.
Public attitudes towards alcohol control policies
Australian Journal of Public Health, 1991
In August 1989 we surveyed a household sample of 500 adults from 84 randomly selected census collector districts in metropolitan and rural New South Wales about their support for 'alcohol control policies' that aim to reduce the prevalence of alcohol-related problems by lowering population alcohol consumption. There was very little support for policies which increased the price or reduced the availability of alcohol. There was moderate support for controls on alcohol advertising, and substantial opposition to policies that would reduce the price of alcohol or increase its availability. Approval for alcohol control policies was more likely to be expressed by women and by persons whose self-reported alcohol consumption was low. If these findings from New South Wales are representative of Australian attitudes then DroDonents of alcohol control policies face a major task in persuading the public to support & I them. (Aust J Public Health 1961; 15: 301-6) n the past 15 years a number of influential researchers in the alcohol field have advocated
Australian Alcohol Policy 2001-2013 and implications for public health
Background: Despite a complex and multi-faceted alcohol policy environment in Australia, there are few comprehensive reviews of national and state alcohol policies that assess their effectiveness and research support. In mapping the Australian alcohol policy domain and evaluating policy interventions in each of the core policy areas, this article provides a useful resource for researchers. The implications for protecting public health emanating from this mapping and evaluation of alcohol policy are also discussed. Methods: This review considered data from: published primary research; alcohol legislation, strategies and alcohol-related press releases for all levels and jurisdictions of Australian government; international publications by prominent non-governmental organisations; and relevant grey literature. These were organised and evaluated using the established framework offered by Thomas Babor and colleagues. Results: Findings indicated great variability in alcohol initiatives across Australia, many of which do not reflect what is currently considered to be evidence-based best practice. Conclusions: Research showing increasing alcohol-related harms despite steady levels of consumption suggests a need to pursue alcohol policy initiatives that are supported by evidence of harm-reduction. Future initiatives should aim to increase existing alcohol controls in line with suggested best practice in order to protect public health in Australia.
Public Opinion and Local Government Alcohol Policy: A Study of Seven New Zealand Communities
Contemporary Drug Problems, 2011
In democratic political systems one would expect public opinion to be a primary determinant of social policy, yet there are numerous examples of discordance between prevailing opinions and government activity. We sought to assess the extent of agreement between public opinion and local government alcohol policies in New Zealand communities during a period of substantial public and political focus on alcohol-related harm. In 2007, we measured public support for various alcohol policies using a cross-sectional postal survey. Local government documents were examined and council staff interviewed to determine the presence or absence of a range of alcohol-related harm countermeasures. Public support was compared with policy status (present vs. absent) in each community. Agreement varied from moderate in a metropolitan city to total in the two rural areas. Despite the majority of residents supporting policies that research suggests would reduce alcohol-Contemporary Drug Problems 38/Fall 2011
Public sentiment towards alcohol and local government alcohol policies in New Zealand
International Journal of Drug Policy, 2012
Background: In many countries, including New Zealand, alcohol availability and promotion have increased markedly in the last three decades as a result of liberalised central and/or state government alcohol policies. Accordingly, communities are increasingly relying on local government to manage alcoholrelated problems. New Zealand's Local Government Act (2002) states the purpose of local government as facilitating public decision-making and promoting community well-being. We sought to describe public sentiment towards alcohol and local government alcohol policies. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2007 with a sample of 2337 residents aged 18 years and over in a diverse set of New Zealand communities. Data were collected via a self-administered penand-paper questionnaire. Results: There were responses from 1372 individuals (response: 59%). Problem drinking amongst youth (<25 years of age) was considered the leading problem by the majority of respondents in six of seven areas. Alcohol was considered to play a major role in incidents of violence, vandalism, dangerous driving and traffic crashes. Fifty-eight percent of respondents agreed that "it is up to local government to make sure alcohol does not become a problem in the community". There was strong support for local governments to restrict the hours of operation of on-licenced premises, to use liquor bans to control drinking in public places, and for local governments and police to be stricter in their enforcement of drinking laws. Conclusion: There is strong support for local government alcohol policies that restrict the availability and promotion of alcohol. The study findings are important in light of the stated purpose of local government in New Zealand and the recently completed "once in a generation" review of alcohol laws and policies.
BMJ Open, 2022
IntroductionThe Banned Drinker Register (BDR) was reintroduced in the Northern Territory (NT) in September 2017. The BDR is a supply reduction measure and involves placing people who consume alcohol at harmful levels on a register prohibiting the purchase, possession and consumption of alcohol. The current study aims to evaluate the impacts of the reintroduction of the BDR, in the context of other major alcohol policy initiatives introduced across the NT such as Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors and a minimum unit price for alcohol of US$1.30 per standard drink.Methods and analysesThe Learning from Alcohol (policy) Reforms in the Northern Territory project will use a mixed-methods approach and contain four major components: epidemiological analysis of trends over time (outcomes include health, justice and social welfare data); individual-level data linkage including those on the BDR (outcomes include health and justice data); qualitative interviews with key stakeholders in the NT (...