Effectiveness replication of social norms marketing campaigns: Five universities across eight years

Background: Social norms marketing campaigns are among the most common interventions to decrease high risk drinking and associated negative consequences among college students. Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of social norms marketing campaigns in real world conditions based on longitudinal changes in three measures (normative perceptions, personal drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences). Significance: This study provides health educators with important information on how effective social norms marketing is likely to be in the absence of a stringent research design. Methodology: Each university conducted annual media campaigns to correct misperceptions of student drinking. All data is from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) from 2002 through 2009, administered in the spring to random samples of students at each university. Sample sizes at each university vary from n=326 to n=1254 per year. Regression analyses examine changes in normative perceptions and personal drinking, controlling for demographic differences. Chi Square analyses examine change in each of seven negative consequences. Findings/Results: All schools had statistically significant (p<.001) sustained decreases in normative misperceptions. Four of the five had significant sustained decreases in personal drinking. Three schools had a significant decrease in at least one of seven negative consequences of drinking; one school had significant decreases in all seven. Conclusions/Recommendations: ACHA-NCHA data from eight years of social norms marketing campaigns at five diverse universities supports the conclusion that social norms marketing campaigns are effective in decreasing normative misperceptions, decreasing hazardous drinking and the associated negative consequences.