Young drinkers say they are immune to alcohol warning labels
Source: BeverageDaily.com
September 8th
A team from Deakin University confirmed suspicions that Aussies aged between 18-25 were unconvinced by the labels.
Forty Deakin students aged between 18 and 25 took part in the study. They were shown images of the warnings, and then alcohol labelling with the warnings present.
They said that the warnings were too small, vague and hard to find, and failed to encourage them to change their boozing nature.
“I don’t think it’s displayed well enough for it to be a serious warning. because it’s so tiny, it doesn’t feel like they’re caring whether we see the label or not. I don’t see it as a legitimate warning,” one subject said.
Despite 90% of the subjects being classified as risky drinkers, very few felt the ads directly targeted them.
“I just see that [warning] and think it wouldn’t apply to me,” another subject said.
Deakin’s Peter Miller, who carried out the study, said the findings made it clear the current, optional warning system, overseen by the industry-funded body DrinkWise, was not working.
Instead, labels need to be more prominent, include images, and contain targeted messages.
They should also highlight the negative effects of low-to-moderate alcohol consumption, such as the links between alcohol and cancer, in order to have a greater impact on alcohol consumption.
“We need to be sure, as consumers, that our government are the people that are looking after our rights. We can’t trust the alcohol industry to supply us with information about alcohol. It’s as idiotic as doing it with tobacco,” Professor Miller said.
DrinkWise chief executive John Scott responded to the criticism by arguing that the warnings play a small role in raising awareness of the dangers of alcohol consumption.
“Education about alcohol consumption is imperative and is at the forefront of what we do. While we recognise that labels alone do not change behaviour, our labels encourage consumers to visit our website for further detail and facts about alcohol,” Scott told Fairfax Media.