The influence of misperceptions about social norms on substance use among school‐aged adolescents

Abstract

Individuals often have biased perceptions about their peers' behavior. We use an economic equilibrium analysis to study the role social norms play in substance use decisions. Using a nationally representative dataset, we estimate the effect of misperception about friends' alcohol, smoking, and marijuana use on consumption of these substances by youths in grades 7-12. Overestimation of friend's substance use significantly increases adolescent's own use approximately 1 year later, and the estimated effect is robust across specifications including individual-level fixed effects regression. The effect size is bigger for boys than for girls. The estimates for those who initially underestimated the norm suggest the possibility of a rebound/boomerang effect.

Gender Differences in the Association between Positive Drinking Attitudes and Alcohol-Related Problems. The WIRUS Study

“…These prior studies focused in the individual's drinking attitudes regarding their reference group and not, as we did, the individual's personal attitudes toward drinking. Estimating one's perception of others' attitudes towards alcohol drinking may be affected by misperception and over-or underestimate others' beliefs and actual drinking behaviors [56][57][58][59]. Norms that apply to men also tend to be more supportive of alcohol consumption [32].…”

“…Although the existing evidence of an association between drinking attitudes and alcohol consumption in non-work settings is rather robust, that evidence may not be readily applicable to workplace settings for the following reasons: (i) there is a lack of research examining working samples as opposed to college students, which have been predominant in the prior literature [ 42 , 43 , 47 , 48 ]; (ii) there are no recent studies; (iii) drinking attitudes have been measured using non-validated items rather than validated instruments, or have measured alcohol consumption in combination with other substance use behaviors [ 54 , 55 ]; and, (iv) examining whether the association between drinking attitudes and alcohol-related problems in workers is moderated by gender and/or employment sector have been not explored in detail. Critically, although previous studies among college students could have some applicability to working populations, findings from those studies could be biased by student peers’ risky behaviors, which have been found to be driven by these individuals’ (mis)perception of their peers’ behavior, regardless of how accurate those perceptions are [ 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Students normally overestimate the actual drinks as well as the amount of approved alcohol use by others and do not display their real attitudes [ 43 , 59 , 60 ].…”

Factors That Influence Substance Use Among American Indian/Alaskan Native Youth: A Systematic Mixed Studies Review

“…Peers. Studies have shown that peer social norms related to substance use influence initiation and misuse (Amialchuk et al, 2019;Davis et al, 2019). Adolescents who believe that their peers are against substance use are more likely to remain resilient against using substances.…”

Qualitative exploration of the intersection between social influences and cultural norms in relation to the development of alcohol use behaviour during adolescence

“…Perceptions of the consensus view in a group, or collective norms, influence conformity, since the more consensual the group, the more isolated the ‘deviant’ and the more powerful the group in shaping the social space. In this way, alcohol use behaviour can be influenced by perceived descriptive norms (the perceived prevalence of alcohol consumption) and injunctive norms (the perceived approval of alcohol use) among young people and both have been shown to influence adolescent alcohol use at the individual and group level 27 28…”