Social Norms Approach

The social norms approach to reducing high-risk drinking is based on the notion that students base their own drinking on their perceptions of campus norms. Students usually overestimate the actual norm, leading them to drink more.

Therefore, by providing students with the actual norms regarding how much and how often students drink, we can correct the misperceptions, thus reducing the negative consequences associated with high-risk drinking.

Below are some examples of print media that are displayed as posters or advertisements in the college newspaper:

Relationship poster
Damage poster
Missed class poster
Missed class poster II
Tobacco poster
Healthy Choices

To learn more about the Alcohol Education Project and how social norms started at Hobart and William Smith Colleges follow this link: http://academic.hws.edu/alcohol/