AR: 1 in 4 Arkansans would support stricter alcohol sales laws, study reports
KNWA Fox 24
By C.C. McCandless
March 15, 2022
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A recent survey conducted by Desert Hope Treatment Center found that more than one in four Arkansans (26%) would support stricter laws on the sale of alcohol, such as limiting sales to certain days of the week or times of the day.
The survey of 6,143 people across the US was to determine their views on implementing stricter alcohol sale laws. Arkansas’ positive response rate of 26% was higher than the national average of 22%.
When these figures were analyzed across states, the highest number of supporters of stricter alcohol sale laws were in New Mexico–nearly one-half (48%) of respondents there said they would support more stringent liquor laws. Comparatively, this figure was lowest in Montana where just 10% of people said they’d be in support of tougher state liquor sales laws.
These national results were further broken down by age group among the respondents and it was found that those aged 65 and older were most in favor of stricter alcohol sale laws, with 32% who said this was the case. This was followed by 31% of those aged 55–64 in support and 25% of 18–24-year-olds.
The research found that more than one-third (39%) of consumers also believed alcohol is too freely available in public spaces, including airplanes, where stories and videos of drunken passengers inciting drama regularly go viral. Moreover, nearly one-half (41%) of respondents think alcohol should be prohibited entirely in venues where children are present in order to prevent incidents of drunk and disorderly behavior.
This survey also found that more than one-quarter (29%) of people said they feel alcohol companies market their products too aggressively and 16% admit to buying alcohol at the store purely because there was a special offer–even if they had no intention of buying it beforehand. This kind of marketing and sales strategy also adds to the accessible and affordable nature of alcohol