Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol Policies in the UK
Dr Steven Toole
Policy and Public Affairs Manager
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
20 May 2010
s.toole@rgs.org
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol Policies in
the UK
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WHO? are the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
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WHY? are we interested in alcohol issues and studies
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WHAT?
- Have we done so far?
- Are we still planning to do?
- Have found so far?
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol
Policies in the UK
1. WHO? are the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
• We are the learned society and professional body for
geography & geographers.
Founded in 1830, we are a world centre for geography:
supporting research, education, expeditions and
fieldwork, and promoting public engagement and
informed enjoyment of our world.
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol
Policies in the UK
2. WHY? are we interested in alcohol issues and studies
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Academic studies: RGS-IBG annual conference in
Manchester (August 2009) Geography of Health Research
Group on “Drinking Places: what about health?”
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) research project led by Gill
Valentine (Leeds) on Family Life, Parenting and Alcohol in the
UK
National Health Survey contributor, Nicola Shelton (UCL) and
Professor Graham Moon (Southampton) both on the Geography
of Binge Drinking: Who Drinks What?
PhD student, Melissa Stepney (Reading), on comparing female
(student) drinking behaviour in the UK and Netherlands
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol
Policies in the UK
3. WHAT? Have we done so far
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Policy Seminar “Drinking Spaces and Places” at the RGS-IBG,
February 2010 Why policy levers need to recognise the importance of
where and how people drink
Session 1: Policy Context
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Binge drinking in England, a regional view: Dr Nicola Shelton :
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health University College
London
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Learning to drink - 11 to 15 year olds and alcohol : Elizabeth Fuller,
National Centre for Social Research (NATCEN)
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Developments in Scotland : Dr Emilia Crighton, Scottish Convenor,
Faculty for Public Health (FPH)
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Working to put Home Office alcohol policy into practice : Eric Stark,
Regional Alcohol Lead, Government Office of London
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol
Policies in the UK
3. WHAT? Have we done so far
• Policy Seminar “Drinking Spaces and Places” at the RGS-IBG, February 2010
Session 2: Private Drinking Places: Home and Away
• The Historical culture of drinking: Historical/cultural reasons for drinking – how the
‘current crisis’ has built over thirty years Dr James Kneale, Geography, University
College London
• Where people drink - assessing the shift in emphasis from city-centre to the home,
and the role of relationships at home : (Joseph Rowntree Funded work) : Professor
Gill Valentine, Geography, Leeds and Dr Sarah Holloway, Geography, Loughborough
Session 3: Public Drinking Spaces
• Night time economies: Alistair Turnham, MAKE Associates (coming soon)
• Designing drinking spaces: From Park to Club - youth, alcohol and place : Professor
Marion Roberts, School of Architecture and the Built Environment, University of
Westminster
• Local spaces: licensing and managing public disorder John Thornhill, Chairman of the
Magistrates Association
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol
Policies in the UK
3. WHAT? Are we planning to do
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol policies in the UK
Policy Paper
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Controversy 1:
The UK has a drink problem, and the biggest bingers are in Scotland and the
North East
Controversy 2:
Everyone likes a drink don’t they – why worry?
Controversy 3:
Problem drinking is a new phenomena
Controversy 4:
Has our 'night-time economy’ been revitalised by drinking, or are our town and
cities are becoming no-go zones)
Controversy 5:
A continental drinking culture is better
Controversy 6:
It is safer to drink at home
Controversy 7:
Children should not drink alcohol
Controversy 8:
We can’t control drinking by raising prices
Controversy 9:
Too much focus is given to treating the effects of alcohol consumption rather
than reducing consumption
Controversy 10: Isn’t saving the British Pub more important
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol
Policies in the UK
3. WHAT? Have we found so far
Controversy 1: The UK has a drink problem (and the biggest bingers are in Scotland and the
North East
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Department for Health’s National Health Survey (Nicola Shelton, UCL)
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Since the mid-1990s there has been little change in the prevalence of ‘binge drinking’ – but
headline statistics however mask the potential impact of an increase in alcohol strengths
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More “binge drink” in North East than South
Controversy 2: Everyone likes a drink don’t they – why worry?
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‘Binge drinking’ is not restricted to young people
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‘Middle aged’ drinking outside of public spaces and the glaring eye of media scrutiny
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Men in South East (40-49) and North East (30-39) ‘binge’ as often as young men (18-29)
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Consumption trends decreasing for younger age groups but not for middle/older age groups
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Joseph Rowntree Foundation work which examined drinking practices in Stoke and Eden,
Cornwall (Valentine et al 2008): drinking at home is the most popular venue for consuming alcohol
for all age groups
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Binge drinkers are much more likely to feel it is acceptable to be drunk (Shelton)
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Acceptability of ‘binge drinking’, and the desire to do something about it – shows significant
regional variations, with views showing a very close relationship with the pattern of overall levels
of drinking in each area (Shelton 2010).
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol
Policies in the UK
3. WHAT? Have we found so far
Controversy 6:
It is safer to drink at home
• Public and policy debates about alcohol: centering on questions of regeneration and
fears of drunken disorder/binge drinking within the night-time economy, is overly
biased towards problem drinking in public spaces (Holloway et al 2008)
Controversy 7:
Children should not drink alcohol
• Government’s former Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson produced new guidance
aimed at children and drinking alcohol, stating “…if children drink alcohol, it should
not be until at least the age of 15 years …. should always be with the guidance of a
parent or carer or in a supervised environment … [and] may suffer high levels of
harm if they begin drinking in parks, streets or other unsupervised settings.”
(Department of Health, December 2009)
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol
Policies in the UK
Controversy 7:
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Children should not drink alcohol
Evidence: more than half of children (11-15 year olds), both boys and girls, have tried alcohol and
increases with age from 16% of 11 year olds to 81% of 15 year olds (Shelton and Fuller)
Regional variations: match the national picture for adults, with the lowest consumption levels in
London and the highest in the north-east (Shelton and Fuller)
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF): research has sought to clarify whether family relationships
and experiences influence upon the drinking behaviour of children – showing a strong relationship
between family attitudes and drinking
Lower levels of drinking alcohol by children: where a family does not approve - just 20% had tried
alcohol, compared with 76% where their family did not mind.
Children who drink usually do so with friends of their own age (52%) rather than with their parents
(41%) and do so in a mixture of locations: at their own home (45%), at someone else’s home
(31%), at parties with friends (33%), out of doors (such as on the street or in parks) (27%), but
only a very small proportion in a pub or bar (7%).
Children drinking ‘out of doors’ are more likely to be higher consumers of alcohol and binge
drinking behaviour, but also take part in other ‘risk-taking’ behaviours such as smoking, taking
drugs, playing truant, or having been drunk, vomited, had a fight, or been in trouble with the police.
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Consumption Controversies: Alcohol
Policies in the UK
Dr Steven Toole
Policy and Public Affairs Manager
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
20 May 2010
s.toole@rgs.org