Predictors of student perceptions of college campus alcohol and drug policies

College alcohol and drug (AD) policies are critical to prevention efforts. We report predictors of student awareness, support for and perceptions of strictness and effectiveness of AD campus policies. Data were gathered via web-based surveys from a representative random sample of 1070 undergraduate students (41% response) at Northeastern University. Most students (51%-78%) were aware of policies and were on average, neutral in their agreement with those policies. Hierarchical regression analyses examined the relationship of individual student differences predictive of student support for AD policies and their opinions on how well enforced, how strict, and how effective those policies are while controlling for possible confounders. Binge drinking (b = 0.26, p < .001) and illegal drug use (b = 0.07, p <.05) were positively related to perception of strictness, while binging was inversely related to support (b = -0.20, p < .001). The belief that fellow students care about problems associated with alcohol and drug use was associated with support of NEU policies (b = 0.12, p < .001) and with the perception that policies were effective (b = 0.14, p < .001). Additionally, the belief that NEU has higher alcohol use compared to other campuses was associated with beliefs that policies were less strict (b = -0.13, p < .001), effective (b = -0.11, p = .001), and enforced (b = -0.12, p < .001). Campus initiatives to increase student concern about AD use may provide an avenue for increasing student support and positive perceptions of AD policies.