Brussels, 31 March 2009 - The first "European Social Norms Forum" held today revealed data showing a new approach to responsible drinking that can cut high-risk drinking, including abusive drinking by young people,  by up to 40%.^[1] .

The social norms approach refers to an individual's perception of 'normal' behaviour that influences one's own behaviour.

Jennifer Bauerle, Director of the Social Norms Institute of the University of Virginia, explains: "People's perceptions about others appear to be inaccurate. For example, several studies have shown that college students significantly overestimate how heavily their peers drink alcohol. Correcting misperceptions and stereotypes with special communications' tools can play an essential part in prevention and reduction of alcohol abuse."

Director General for Health and Consumer Protection, Robert Madelin welcomed the event: "We have understood that as the European population ages and urbanizes, we need to use the strengths of the social norms approach, together with the strengths of other experiences, to overcome huge behavioural challenges".  

Organized and hosted by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, the Forum was the first of its kind at a pan-European level. Called to raise awareness about the social-norms approach, leading experts in the field shared their knowledge, experience and best practices with European stakeholders. Approximately 150 individuals were present, including local and national officials, researchers, health-care professionals, law-enforcement representatives.

The Forum provided participants with information on how to successfully develop and implement the social-norms method, including a toolkit on how to apply these techniques in their own sphere of activity. Anheuser-Busch InBev has organised the conference as part of its commitment to the European Alcohol & Health Forum in partnership with The Brewers of Europe, NOCTIS and the National Social Norms Institute at the University of Virginia in the United States.

Additional information on the conference, a list of speakers and background on the social norms theory is available at www.socialnormsforum.eu.

Media Contact:
Laure Dulière, Burson Marsteller +32 486 944  197   laure.duliere@bm.com

^[1] The HWS Alcohol Education Project Experiment: "A Synergistic Application of the Social Norms Approach to Reduce Collegiate Problem Drinking,"
(2001) by H. Wesley Perkins and David Craig