Out‐group peer involvement in youth alcohol consumption

Abstract

Recent studies of alcohol consumption among students have consistently linked in-group influence with excessive drinking. Concurrently, these studies have largely overlooked the influence of non-alcohol-consuming peers (the out-group) on the in-group's decisions to consume alcohol.However, out-groups can have a significant impact on in-group members' decisions regarding publicly consumed products (White, Simpson, & Argo, 2014), such as is the case of alcohol. In light of this, our study aims to explore how in-group members' views of their consumption of alcohol are influenced by their out-group. This study uses Social Identity Theory as the theoretical lens to explain consumer interaction with the out-group (abstainers) and subsequent views of in-group members (alcohol consumers). A social constructivist approach is adopted to enable this exploration of meaning, with concomitant use of the qualitative narrative methodology. A sample of 18 postgraduate students studying in the UK was selected. Narratives were collected and analysed using thematic analysis. Although the widely accepted view is that people tend to avoid products or behaviours that are linked with an out-group, this paper demonstrates conditions in which alcohol consumers appreciate the out-group. Furthermore, it reveals how drinkers' interaction with their out-group can lead to negative attitudes towards their in-group and their own consumption of alcohol. Based on their views of out-groups, we propose a categorisation of alcohol consumers into 3 groups: avoiders, open admirers, and covert admirers. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications for social marketers and policy makers.

Does religiosity matter for vice product consumption among Chinese individuals?

“…It is crucial to promote a responsible concept of vice product consumption. Supported by Gallage et al (2018), interaction with the non-alcohol-drinking group can lead to negative attitudes toward the consumers' group and its consumption of alcohol.…”

Adopting and sustaining responsible drinking: reconciling selves amidst conflicting messages

“…What is more, drinking and drunkenness are inseparably linked to cultural norms and involve impulsive and symbolic consumption decisions (Wilson, 2005). These communicate and celebrate, amongst other things, positional status, social identification, and rites of passage (Szmigin et al, 2008;Szmigin et al, 2011;Gallage et al, 2018). Thus, while drinking, one may easily ignore official guidelines and responsible drinking limits (see Giles & Brennan, 2015), and see drinking to excess as daring, rebellious or, otherwise, highly pleasurable (Gallage et al, 2018).…”

“…These communicate and celebrate, amongst other things, positional status, social identification, and rites of passage (Szmigin et al, 2008;Szmigin et al, 2011;Gallage et al, 2018). Thus, while drinking, one may easily ignore official guidelines and responsible drinking limits (see Giles & Brennan, 2015), and see drinking to excess as daring, rebellious or, otherwise, highly pleasurable (Gallage et al, 2018). This is particularly the case for younger adults, who have been found to pay little attention to NHS guidelines on drinking (Giles & Brennan, 2015), and wish to fit in with the crowd (see Szmigin et al, 2011;Fry, 2010).…”

“…In the UK, problems related to alcohol consumption are exacerbated by the social norms (Burton et al, 2017) of a drinking culture in which heavy drinking among young adults is normalised (Haydock, 2016). This is largely because alcohol consumption is regarded as an unique experience that socialises individuals (Szmigin et al, 2011), and supports young people's construction and assertion of their individual and social identities (Fry, 2010;Piacentini & Banister, 2009;Piacentini et al, 2012;Gallage et al, 2018). However, while social marketers and public health educators use messages to encourage consumers to drink sensibly, similar 'responsible drinking' messages are used by the industry to promote enjoyment of drinking.…”

Post-series depression: scale development and validation

“…Although bingeing behaviours have widely been studied in relation to eating and alcohol consumption (e.g. Gallage et al, 2018;Hackley et al, 2013;Martin et al, 2013) Treganowan (2014) Communicating with the creators of the series asking to bring it back in the hope that enough demand will spark additional footage Hurley (2018), Regalado (2018) Looking at TV tropes pages, web pages, and relevant websites relating to the show Khoo (2017) Replacing: checking for or watching new recommended films/series/other products (possibly featuring the same actors/celebrities) Blundell ( 2014), Clark (2016), Karlin (2015), Khoo (2017) ( Jenner, 2017;Walton-Pattison et al, 2018) and in the marketing domain ( Jones et al, 2018;Merikivi et al, 2018). Nevertheless, binge-watching is increasingly common among screen series audiences (Karmaker and Kruger, 2016) and has been found to be more prevalent among younger people (Matrix, 2014) and those who want to escape reality (Gold et al, 2003).…”