Demand for Alcohol by College Students: An Empirical Evaluation
Year: 2000
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Past research has shown that alcohol use and abuse by students have lead to academic failures and even serious crimes by college students. Obviously the issue of drinking by college students is a serious concern among parents, college and university administrators, and the government. The principal purpose of this study of drinking behavior by college students was to identify factors that impact alcohol consumption by college students. Although the most widely used policy tool to counteract the abuse of alcohol has been the increase in the minimum drinking age, we found that students below legal drinking age, i.e., 21 years, are more likely to consume alcohol. This finding raises questions regarding effectiveness in enforcement and society's inability to find effective ways to curb underage drinking in college campuses. Past studies have shown that increasing the price of alcohol would significantly reduce alcohol consumption and a similar attitude was found among the majority of respondents (over 77 percent) in this study. Before agreeing to raise the price of alcohol, however, we have to study the impact of such price increases on the general population, on businesses, and whether such price hikes may lead to illicit market practices (e.g., black market) catering to college students. Another important finding was that those students living on-campus are more likely to consume alcohol compared to those who live off-campus. This may indicate a prevailing culture of consuming alcohol as a part of student life in college campuses. College administrators may want to take note of the finding in this study that there is a greater likelihood of underage drinking in college housing facilities, including residence halls, dormitories, and other on-campus housing facilities. It is noteworthy that the Greek houses in college campuses (both fraternities and sororities) all over the country are frequently in the news for alcohol or drug use and abuse. Fortunately these organizations are recognizing the need to address such problems at college campuses around the country. Regarding the finding that students coming from rural or suburban areas are more likely to drink alcohol, a detail study is needed to understand how the socio-psychological and economic factors affect the behavior and upbringing of young adults in such areas. Although it is still inconclusive regarding the effectiveness of alcohol awareness and similar education-oriented programs aimed at college students, such programs need to be continued and possibly expanded to reach all students. Tougher enforcement of alcohol policies in college campuses is a good deterrent. In addition, behavioral interventions (e.g., challenging erroneous alcohol expectancies) should be given priority because research has shown that such interventions have been more successful than education.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Authors: Sanjib Bhuyan, Mark Reggimenti
Institution: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2344732478