Zero-Alcohol Drinks Are Rising In Popularity. What Do Young People Think About Them?

Ann-Marie
Kennedy, University
of Canterbury; Jennifer
Smith, University
of Canterbury; Johnpaul
Smith, Swinburne
University of Technology, and Rachael
Dixon, University
of Canterbury

Over the past decade,
zero-alcohol drinks have gone from a relatively niche
product to a staple of our supermarket
aisles, bottle stores and pubs.

Their rising
appeal in New Zealand and around the world isn’t
difficult to understand. Patrons can enjoy the closest thing
there is to beer or wine, but without the alcohol, they
don’t need to worry about taxi fares or
hangovers.

But how do young people view these
products? Might they offer an alternative for teenagers as
they begin navigating social situations where their peers
are drinking?

Or, more concerningly, could products
designed to look, taste and feel like alcoholic drinks
simply reinforce long-standing problems with New Zealand’s
drinking culture?

Our recently
published research suggests these booze-free options can
indeed fulfil some of the social and symbolic roles young
people associate with drinking.

But there are
important limits to what they can replace.

Why do
young people drink?

The health harms of alcohol
are well established – and they rarely stop with the
drinker, extending outward to
affect partners, families and entire
communities.

Globally, this harm contributes to an estimated
2.6 million deaths each year and is linked to more than
200 diseases, injuries and other health
conditions.

In New Zealand, its economic toll –
through lost productivity, road crashes, healthcare and
other impacts – has been
calculated at more than NZ$9 billion a
year.

The risks of drinking from a young age are
known too. Around half of young New Zealanders drink
alcohol, with 6.3%
drinking at hazardous levels. This early exposure can
increase the risk of harmful drinking and dependence later
in life.

But it’s also important to remember that
young people drink for
many reasons other than just getting drunk. It can be
part of bonding with others, fitting in or expressing
identity. They can drink to celebrate, to feel better or to
regulate emotions.

So, if zero-alcohol drinks are
going to provide an alternative, can they fulfil these
emotional, social, and symbolic roles too?

There
are also concerns they could have the opposite effect,
potentially creating a
gateway to alcohol consumption later on. With relatively
little known about how young people perceive these products,
we sought to gain a clearer picture.

In our
research, we spoke to 52 Year 11 students aged 15 and 16
from three secondary schools across New
Zealand.

Using creative, art-based techniques, they
shared with us what alcohol and zero-alcohol drinks
symbolised for them and whether they thought zero-alcohol
could replace alcohol for young people.

We found
zero-alcohol drinks could be used to fit in socially. They
could also communicate something positive about the person
drinking them, such as being responsible for themselves and
others.

However, even at this young age,
participants recognised that zero-alcohol could not provide
the same emotional crutch as alcohol.

For instance,
they recognised that zero-alcohol couldn’t “make boring
things fun”. In situations they considered inherently fun
– going to the beach, weddings or concerts – they could
imagine zero-alcohol replacing alcohol.

But in
“boring” settings, or situations where they felt
socially anxious, they saw regular alcohol as serving a
different purpose.

Changing what drinking
represents

Our findings suggest several ways
health promotion, regulation and education could potentially
reduce alcohol harm among young people.

Health
promotion could pair zero-alcohol drinks with fun settings
normally associated with alcohol, encouraging the idea that
there are alternatives to drinking at these
occasions.

Restricting alcohol advertising and
product placement that link alcohol with fun, could also
help reduce that association between alcohol, socialising,
and having fun.

As well, young people could be
given more education around social skills, coping
mechanisms, and emotion regulation, alongside alternative
messages to those presenting alcohol consumption as
normal.

Ultimately, the symbolic meaning young
people attach to zero-alcohol drinks may determine how
useful they are as an alternative.

We found
evidence that zero-alcohol can be used to fit it, but if it
is seen as less valuable than full-strength alcohol, and
doesn’t provide the same social status or acceptance,
young people may continue to choose alcohol.

But if
zero-alcohol gains equal value as a way of socialising and
fitting in, it could challenge the idea that drinking
alcohol is necessary to be accepted.

Ann-Marie
Kennedy, Professor or Marketing, Business School, University
of Canterbury; Jennifer
Smith, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University
of Canterbury; Johnpaul
Smith, Lecturer of Marketing, Swinburne
University of Technology, and Rachael
Dixon, Senior Lecturer, University
of Canterbury

This article is
republished from The
Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the
original
article.