74% view alcohol misuse as a ‘serious problem’

THREE-IN-FOUR people believe alcohol misuse is a “serious problem” affecting Irish society that is worse now than it was five years ago.

A new poll shows most people believe drinkers themselves are to blame for the problem rather than the societal influences of advertising, government policy or the pub trade.

The survey was conducted by the market research company, Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI).

It shows that 74% of adults view alcohol misuse as “serious” while more than half (58%) described it as worse now than it was five years ago. The survey reveals that the public want better enforcement of existing regulations relating to alcohol abuse, rather than new measures to tackle them. A fifth of people believe tighter laws are needed on under-age drinking while a quarter believe young people should be educated at school on the problems associated with alcohol.

When asked without prompting who they blamed for the problem, 40% of respondents said “drinkers themselves”. This compares to 28% who gave the same answer when the survey was conducted two years ago.

More than one in five (23%) blamed “parents” as bearing most responsibility for our drinking culture.

Almost the same number again (22%) said young people are to blame for Ireland’s high consumption of alcohol. One in 10 (11%) people blamed alcohol adverts, while one in 20 (5%) said alcohol sponsorship of sporting events is to blame. Seven per cent blamed the education system while eight per cent blamed drink manufacturers. Three per cent of people said the reason we have a problem with alcohol misuse is that “people have too much money”.

The findings are published just two weeks after another study by the Health Research Board showed that alcohol consumption in Ireland has increased by 17 per cent in the past 10 years. Alcohol related deaths doubled in the same period, with 177 people dying each year as a result of illnesses caused by drink.

“There is no disputing the concern felt amongst the public at the problem of alcohol misuse,” said DIGI chairman Michael Patten.

He said the drinks industry “shares the significant level of concern” about the problem and is engaged in a programme through the social partnership process to tackle problem areas.

“We believe this co-operative based approach is the best means of responding to what is a complex and challenging problem,” he said.

The Behaviour and Attitudes survey was based on a sample of 974 adults aged 18 and over who were interviewed in April this year.