ESRC-Identities@open.ac.uk
Branded consumption and social
identification: Young people and alcohol
Principal Investigator: Dr Christine Griffin,
Psychology, University of Bath
Dr Willm Mistral, Mental Health Research &
Development Unit, University of Bath
Professor Chris Hackley, Management, Royal Holloway
University of London
Dr Isabelle Szmigin, The Business School, University
of Birmingham
Research Assistants:
Andrew Bengry-Howell,
Psychology, University of Bath
David Clarke, The Business
School, University of Birmingham
There has been widespread
concern in recent years over the extent of ‘excessive’ drinking amongst young
people, including the relative increase in levels of alcohol consumption
amongst young women. There is now a considerable body of research on young
people’s drinking, especially underage drinking, much of which has used
large-scale survey methods concerned to identify how much young people drink.
However there remains a dearth of in-depth interview research involving
‘ordinary’ young adult drinkers, and studies have not kept pace with the
increasing complexity and sophistication of current alcohol marketing and
branding campaigns aimed at young people.
The Young People and Alcohol
project will investigate the ways that alcohol advertising might shape young
people’s identities, for example by encouraging them to see themselves as
‘cool’, as manly/feminine or attractive if they drink a particular product, or
to view drinking to intoxication as normal or harmless. The study will focus on
young adults in the 18 to 25 range, using an innovative combination of
qualitative research methods to investigate the significance of alcohol for the
construction of young people’s identities, and the role of branding in this
process. We will analyse a selected sample of current alcohol adverts aimed at
young people on TV, radio, magazines and the internet, examining the images and
meanings associated with particular drinks. This will be followed by a series
of informal group discussions with 60-70 young adults in three geographical
locations: a major city centre in the English Midlands with a diverse
population; a seaside town and a small market town in the West Country with
more homogenous populations and a more limited range of drinking venues.
Respondents will be recruited
from a range of gender, socio-economic and ethnic groups, including groups of
students and locals from the inner city area. Finally, four in-depth case
studies of young people’s drinking activities will be carried out in the three
geographical locations, followed by individual interviews. The project involves
an inter-disciplinary team of researchers with considerable expertise in
academic research and work with relevant user groups, from service users and
professionals working in alcohol and mental health services; the advertising
industry and drinks manufacturers; and youth work and education.
The project will also involve
a visit to Australia/New Zealand by the principal investigator (Dr Griffin)
during 2007, to work with two groups of researchers engaged in similar studies
and to disseminate the findings to an international audience. The study should
provide valuable information for health educators, youth workers and others
working in this area. It is also likely to have significant implications for
the government’s Alcohol Strategy.
For more information please
contact:
Dr Christine Griffin
Department of Psychology
University of Bath
Claverton Down
London Bath
BA2 7AY
This Project runs from April
2005 to September 2007
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