How did policy actors use mass media to influence the Scottish alcohol minimum unit pricing debate? Comparative analysis of newspapers, evidence submissions and interviews

Abstract

Aims: To explore how policy actors attempted to deliberately frame public debate around alcohol minimum unit pricing (MUP) in the UK by comparing and contrasting their constructions of the policy in public (newspapers), semi-public (evidence submissions) and private (interviews). Methods: Content analysis was conducted on articles published in ten national newspapers between 1 January 2005 and 30 June 2012. Newsprint data were contrasted with alcohol policy documents, evidence submissions to the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee and 36 confidential interviews with policy stakeholders (academics, advocates, industry representatives, politicians and civil servants). Findings: A range of policy actors exerted influence both directly (through Parliamentary institutions and political representatives) and indirectly through the mass media. Policy actors were acutely aware of mass media’s importance in shaping public opinion and used it tactically to influence policy. They often framed messages in subtly different ways, depending on target audiences. In general, newspapers presented the policy debate in a “balanced” way, but this arguably over-represented hostile perspective and suggested greater disagreement around the evidence base than is the case. Conclusions: The roles of policy actors vary between public and policy spheres, and how messages are communicated in policy debates depends on perceived strategic advantage.

• Alcohol
• evidence base
• health
• policy
• public health
• qualitative research

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge our collaborators, Chris Patterson and Karen Wood at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, who led the coding of newspaper articles which this work builds on. SVK would like to thank the interviewees for their participation.

Declaration of interest

This study received no dedicated funding. At the time the study was conducted, SVK was funded by the Chief Scientist Office at the Scottish Health Directorates as part of the Evaluating Social Interventions programme at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (MC_U130059812 and MC_UU_12017/4) and SH was funded by the Medical Research Council as part of the understandings and uses of Public Health Research programme (MC_U130085862 and MC_UU_12017/6). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

SVK and SH are involved in planning an evaluation of the effects of minimum unit pricing of alcohol in Scotland. They declare that they have no other conflicts of interest.