Utilizing a social norms approach to assess and educate students regarding substance use on campus

Substance use and abuse is a concern across college campuses. Social norms campaigns survey students and then use the data to inform the student body of the misperceptions seen on campus, with the intent of educating students and dispelling the myth that “everyone is doing it.” Enrolled students on a private campus, age 18 and older, were invited to anonymously participate in a survey, and completed the survey each spring for the past three years via the internet. The three year total of data collected is 1,467. The sample remains consistent on a variety of demographic measures. Most students report never using any substance, while the perception of other students who never used these substances is low. In 2010 72% of students said they never used tobacco, but they perceived that only 11.2% of other students have never used. When posters were displayed throughout campus addressing actual self reported use of tobacco, there did appear to be a shift in perception of peers who have never used tobacco, from 11.2% to 16.6%. While this still leaves a gap between actual use and perceived use, a trend which continues in the same pattern for all other substances other than alcohol, there is the potential that continued informational campaigns may decrease this perception gap. Overall the survey demonstrates a campus with growing awareness of substance abuse information and knowledge. The social norms campaign is working at changing the perception of some substance use on campus, in small but statistically significant ways over the three year study.