What young people think about
labels?
Edita Petrauskaite
Lithuanian National Consumer Federation
Find us @ www.vartotojuteises.lt
www.facebook.com/
lietuvos nacionaline vartotoju federacija
OUTLINE
 Description of the study
 Attitudes and behaviours towards
alcohol consumption
 Information tools
 Conclusions
OBJECTIVES
 Identify general consumption behaviours of
young people toward alcohol beverages
depending on the circumstances.
 Determine the level and sources of
knowledge of the dangers related with alcohol
consumption.
 Collect youngster’s views and opinions
toward different prevention tools and labelling
of alcohol products.
METHODOLOGY
 Participating countries: Belgium, France,
Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania.
 Average number of participants in the focus
group - 10.
 Number of focus groups arranged – 14 (2 per
country);
 Total number of participants – 126 (male and
female aged between 18-25)
SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS
 Groups were formed according to specific
social – demographic criteria, such as age
(18-25) and occupation (students, workers
and unemployed);
 All the participants represented a public that
drinks and can be affected by alcohol (regular
consumption).
MOTIVATION
Partying
Tasting
MOTIVATIONS
Asserting oneself
Relaxing
Consumption patterns
 First-time alcohol consumption
-Age
-Circumstances
-Types of alcohol
 First time drunkenness
-Age
-Circumstances
-Types of alcohol
Consumption patterns
 First-time alcohol consumption
“I was with my family, I was little, 10 or 12 years old, I was given a bit of
champagne. In fact, I wanted to behave like adults...” Female (France)
“When I was a child I used to taste alcohol from my parents or from the
guest glasses” Male (Romania)
““I began drinking with my family when I was very young. According
to a video, I was two years-old, there was a lot of champagne on
the tables, I emptied what was left in the glasses, I know it
seems to be young… From the age of 12-13, I drank
champagne… Later, from the age of 14, I started to go to
nightclubs with my friends… At that time, we used to drink
vodka, and also tequila shots. It happened that I was completely
“dead drunk” in the nightclub, almost in a comatose state, I think
that everybody has had a similar experience”. (France)
 First time drunkenness
“The first time that I drank, I was 14. Several months later, I got
plastered… with tequila”. Male 19 (France). He also admitts he
experienced a state closed to alcoholic coma several times a
year.
“During family meetings, we drink wine to savour it but when we are
with friends we just drink to get drunk”. Female (Lithuania)
“At my 19th birthday party, I have been drunk and sick for the first
time. I mixed wine and beer” (Romania)
Perception and risk of knowledge
 Mostly aware of short term risks,
dangers (road accidents, comas,
unwanted sexual relationships…).
 They are generally unaware of long-
term health hazards (diseases and
addiction).
Information sources
 Mass media campaigns
 Education at school, families
 Preventive labels
Alcohol labels perceptions
 Standard unit labels
 Some respondents were suspicious about the
usefulness of health warnings.
“We already know the risks. Writing them on bottles is useless. We already
know that people die of it…” Female (France)
 If labels were used, the informative ones (e.g.
facts, statistics,) were considered as more
relevant.
“It is necessary know the pros and cons of alcohol consumption, how drinking
this much of a bottle will affect you for example.” Male (Spain)
“Showing physical damages pictures is interesting, it means that alcohol not
only causes cancer but also physical damage” Female (France)
“I’m seriously thinking that, for the first time, I could start looking at the label to
see what is in the wine that I buy” Female (Spain)
Alcohol labels perceptions
 If images were used, the ones with humoristic
labels were appreciated. There were
suggestions to add a link of website for
additional information.
 There was some opposition to the idea of putting
shocking images on a bottle.
“I would not like to see these disgusting images on any products, this makes
me sick” Male (Lithuania)
“I don’t want to see a crap picture on my champagne bottle. French heritage is
sacrosanct” Male (French).
Alcohol labels perceptions 2
 Other suggestions:
 Education
through parents and at
school. Particularly about the harmful
effects of alcohol.
 Price increase and limited availability.
Main conclusions
 Respondents start to drink at young age. The
motivation appears in the context of partying,
tasting, relaxing, gaining self-confidence leading
later to addiction, diseases.
 Young people are aware only of short-term risks.
But therefore would like to be more informed
about long term risks. There is a lack of
knowledge among young people about the
effects to their health.
Main conclusions
 Generally, young people agree that more information
on the dangers of alcohol is needed. If labeling was
used, they prefer to see informative warnings (facts,
statistics) or comic (attractive) images.
 As an alternative to labels, they offer more active
media activities, educational information at schools.
 The use of health warning messages informing about
long-term effects of alcohol consumption could come
as a complement to a more comprehensive prevention
strategy.
Thank you for attention!
Edita Petrauskaite
Lithuanian National Consumer Federation
Find us @ www.vartotojuteises.lt
www.facebook.com/
lietuvos nacionaline vartotoju federacija
Standard unit labels
Warning messages
Drink drivers kill 10.000 innocents
in the EU every year
1 in 4 of all road deaths
involve alcohol
Labels
Shocking images