Abstract
Aims: Social norms interventions for reducing excessive drinking on college campuses have reported mixed results. In an attempt to understand the inconsistencies, this study examined some of the under-examined aspects of the social norms approach.
Design: A cross-sectional survey of undergraduate students at two large mid-western universities in the USA was conducted. Norm proximity (campus vs. friends' norms), norm types (descriptive vs. injunctive norms), and college drinker types (frequent binge drinkers, occasional binge drinkers, and non-binge drinkers) were differentiated.
Findings: The influences of friends' norms are stronger than those of campus and those of descriptive norms are stronger than injunctive norms. Friends' descriptive norms influenced frequent and occasional binge drinkers' behavior most strongly, whereas the campus descriptive norm and self-efficacy influenced non-binge drinkers' behavior.
Conclusions: Proximity and types of norms as well as types of college drinkers will need to be distinguished in the future design and evaluation of social norms interventions.
