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Health Communication Volume 15, 2003 - Issue 4
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Original Articles

Are Social Norms Campaigns Really Magic Bullets? Assessing the Effects of Students' Misperceptions on Drinking Behavior

Shelly Campo
,
Dominique Brossard
,
M. Somjen Frazer
,
Timothy Marchell
,
Deborah Lewis
&
Janis Talbot
Pages 481-497 | Published online: 10 Dec 2009
 
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Abstract

In an attempt to curb excessive drinking on college campuses, many universities have turned to "social norms" marketing campaigns. Despite widespread acceptance among health educators, empirical results are clouded by measurement problems. This study, based on a random sample of 550 students, examined the effects of misperceptions of friends' and typical college students' drinking on one's drinking behavior. Results indicate that drinking behavior is positively related to perceptions of friends' drinking as suggested by the theory of planned behavior, which emphasizes subjective as opposed to social norms.

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