Perkins’ Stance on Social Norms Receives Much Media Coverage
new report has been released by the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study saying that attempts to curb binge drinking on campuses through social norms programming have failed. Henry Wechsler, the director of the Harvard study, said he surveyed drinking patterns on 98 campuses, 37 of which have used social norms programs for one year, and found no improvement in lessening student drinking.
Perkins disputes the findings. “Wechsler ignores other research that shows a reduction of high-risk drinking on campuses that use campaigns to dispel misperceptions about drinking, said Perkins in the Hartford Courant story “Study Disputes Drinking Theory” (July 24).