Social Marketing Campaign

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Social Marketing Campaign

Results for the First year Experience Survey, 1998 - 2002

Final Report, March 2003

Douglas Engwall, Psychology

Summary

For the fifth consecutive year, the social marketing campaign has focused on the first-year students through a variety of media channels. Every year the impact has grown as measured by the percentage of FY students recalling the media messages. For example:

· Over 50% of FY students recall their FYE instructor talking

about alcohol issues.

· Most FY students (63%) recall seeing the poster on campus

drinking norms.

· 80% of resident students recall a floor meeting discussing

alcohol issues.

· One of three FYE sections received an Alcohol 101 presentation.

The impact of the program can be clearly seen in changes in attitudes and behavior.

· Half of the students exposed to Alcohol 101 say they

learned some new information about drinking norms.

· 20% of the Alcohol 101 students report that the information has

caused them to think about their own use.

· 17% of FY students say they have reduced their use of alcohol.

· The reported rate of binge drinking was stable from last year.

Women showed signs of moderation but men showed increases in

drug and alcohol use.

In conclusion, the social media campaign has played an important role in changing the campus culture around drinking issues. This effort, coordinated by the Office of Prevention and Counseling, could not succeed without continued support from Residence Life and the Office of Student Judicial Programs. We would also like to thank the FYE faculty for opening their classes to these messages and the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences for encouraging faculty involvement. The research and design team included Ben Tyson (Communication) and Marc Goldstein (Psychology). The entire project was supported by a grant from Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Full Report

As one means of assessing the effectiveness of the social marketing campaign, a one-page set of questions was added to the survey given to all students enrolled in First-Year Experience classes. The Fall of 1998 marked the first semester that all first-year students were required to take one of these special freshmen-only courses.

The survey was distributed to FYE sections during the last two weeks of the semester. The results represent student opinion at the end of the first semester. Responses were received from approximately two-thirds of full-time freshmen (i.e., those in attendance the day the survey was given). Approximately 10% of the respondents either overlooked or decided not to respond the last page of the survey that contained the special section, yielding a usable sample of 719 students for Fall 1998, 692 for Fall 1999, 691 for Fall 2000, 682 for Fall 2001, and 604 for Fall 2002. The survey contained questions that asked students whether they recalled various aspects of the media campaign, including a classroom presentation about drinking norms.

Faculty teaching the FYE courses were contacted by the Office of Prevention and Counseling and were asked if they would be interested in having a professional visit their classrooms to deliver a alcohol prevention message. Over the course of the 1998 Fall semester, a prevention specialist (Karen Engwall) from Prevention and Counseling was invited by faculty to visit approximately 1 out of 4 FYE sections being offered. These classes received a presentation about the social marketing campaign, including a discussion of campus drinking norms. As the results below indicate, the impact of the social marketing campaign was much greater in the visited sections.

For the 1999-2002 Fall semesters, the presentation featured Alcohol 101, an interactive computer program run in the Macintosh Classroom rather than the regular classroom where the course was being held. Alcohol 101 was developed for a college audience, employing student voices, images, and situations throughout. In addition to the “virtual peers” found in Alcohol 101, a CCSU peer educator was present at one-half of these presentations. All of the following tables represent percentages.

Demographics of respondents

Age

Year / 17 or less / 18-20 / 21-25 / 26 or older
1998 (n = 719) / 3 / 94 / 2 / 1
1999 (n = 692) / 6 / 94 / 0 / 0
2000 (n = 691) / 4 / 94 / 1 / 1
2001 (n = 682) / 4 / 94 / 1 / 1
2002 (n = 604) / 3 / 95 / 2 / 1

CCSU’s first-year class of full-time students is traditional age, with most students just a year or two beyond high school graduation.

Living arrangements

Year / Residence Hall / With relatives / Off-campus
1998 (n = 719) / 52 / 43 / 5
1999 (n = 692) / 50 / 42 / 8
2000 (n = 691) / 51 / 44 / 5
2001 (n = 682) / 53 / 41 / 6
2002 (n = 604) / 54 / 68 / 8

Gender

Visit by prevention specialist: 1998 / Male / Female
No Visit (n = 567) / 47 / 53
Visit (n = 152) / 37 / 63
Overall / 45 / 55
Chi-square=4.75, P<.02.
Visit by prevention specialist: 1999 / Male / Female
No Visit (n = 517) / 55 / 45
Visit (n = 175) / 42 / 58
Overall / 51 / 49
Chi-square=8.88, P<.002.
Visit by prevention specialist: 2000 / Male / Female
Overall (n = 682) / 52 / 48
Visit by prevention specialist: 2001 / Male / Female
Overall (n = 673) / 53 / 47
Visit by prevention specialist: 2002 / Male / Female
No Visit (n = 581) / 46 / 54

While the overall gender ratio was balanced, significantly more women than men were in the sections visited by the prevention specialist for the first two years. In 2000-2002 the genders were equally represented in all conditions.

Recollection of Media campaign

Students were asked a number of questions to determine their recollection of various aspects of the social marketing campaign. The instructions were as follows:

“During your first semester, you may have received information about drinking from various sources, both inside and outside the classroom. We’re interested in knowing if you recall receiving this information.”

Respondents were then asked if they recalled a series of messages either clearly, vaguely, or if they did not recall. They could also select “does not apply”. The following represents the responses to each question prompting their recollections.

The instructor in your FYE class talking about alcohol issues?

Visit by prevention specialist: 1998 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n = 571) / 28 / 18 / 34 / 20
Visit (n = 156) / 42 / 25 / 21 / 13
Overall / 31 / 20 / 31 / 19

Chi-square=23.15, P<.001

Visit by prevention specialist: 1999 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n = 525) / 16 / 22 / 43 / 19
Visit (n = 181) / 65 / 19 / 11 / 4
Overall / 29 / 21 / 35 / 15

Chi-square=169.14, P<.001

Visit by prevention specialist: 2000 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n = 493) / 21 / 19 / 36 / 24
Visit (n = 191) / 70 / 16 / 10 / 4
Overall / 35 / 18 / 29 / 18

Chi-square=159.76, P<.001

Visit by prevention specialist: 2001 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n= 485) / 27 / 18 / 39 / 16
Visit (n = 216) / 60 / 22 / 14 / 4
Overall / 37 / 19 / 31 / 12

Chi-square=92.798, P<.001

Visit by prevention specialist: 2002 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n = 380) / 16 / 15 / 49 / 20
Visit (n = 210) / 62 / 26 / 11 / 1
Overall / 33 / 19 / 36 / 13

Chi-square=182.06, P<.001

FYE faculty were encouraged by the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences to include some discussion of alcohol issues within the course outline. Overall for all five years about 50% of students recalled (clearly or vaguely) their FYE instructor talking about alcohol issues but the memory is significantly stronger in those sections visited by the specialist (67% for 1998, 84% for 1999, 86% for 2000, 82% in 2001, and 88% for 2002). Clearly the message is getting stronger year after year. It’s likely those FYE instructors who scheduled visits were also more likely to talk about alcohol in their classes, one message reinforcing the other. Several faculty are strong advocates of the program, participating in all five years.

Someone visiting your FYE class to talk about alcohol issues.

Visit by prevention specialist: 1998 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n = 567) / 9 / 9 / 48 / 33
Visit (n = 155) / 61 / 13 / 19 / 7
Overall / 21 / 10 / 42 / 28

Chi-square=213.01, P<.001

Visit by prevention specialist: 1999 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n = 521) / 10 / 8 / 52 / 30
Visit (n = 177) / 63 / 12 / 15 / 10
Overall / 24 / 9 / 42 / 25

Chi-square=222.42, P<.001

Visit by prevention specialist: 2000 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n = 483) / 5 / 10 / 48 / 38
Visit (n = 187) / 58 / 10 / 22 / 10
Overall / 20 / 10 / 41 / 30

Chi-square=247.24, P<.001

Visit by prevention specialist: 2001 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n = 479) / 11 / 9 / 54 / 26
Visit (n = 216) / 60 / 11 / 22 / 7
Overall / 26 / 19 / 44 / 29

Chi-square=199.55,P<.001

Visit by prevention specialist: 2002 / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
No Visit (n = 380) / 11 / 6 / 54 / 29
Visit (n = 209) / 64 / 14 / 16 / 6
Overall / 30 / 8 / 41 / 21

Chi-square=221.33, P<.001

This question was asked to determine if the students remembered the visit of the prevention specialist. In general only one section in four received a presentation (i.e., those sections providing invitations from faculty). In terms of respondents, 21% of the students in the 1998 survey, 25% in the 1999, 27% in 2000, 31% in 2001, and 35% in 2002 could be connected to visited sections (via survey forms coded by section number). Most students (around 60%) in the visited sections clearly remembered the presentation. Some of those who did not recall may have been absent on the day of the presentation. There were a few students (10% or less) in the non-visited section who clearly remembered a non-event, but it’s important to remember that these students may be confusing this event with other messages received from other sources (like their instructor) over the semester.

A presentation on alcohol issues in PE 244 (Fitness/Wellness Ventures).

Year / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
1998 (n = 704) / 24 / 9 / 15 / 51
1999 (n = 691) / 31 / 9 / 14 / 45
2000 (n = 669) / 32 / 9 / 13 / 47
2001 (n = 689) / 29 / 9 / 15 / 47
2002 (n = 582) / 25 / 8 / 11 / 56

One of the planned aspects of the campaign was to provide messages from multiple sources. Therefore the goal was to also reach all first year students in the required Fitness/Wellness course (PE 244). Due to registration difficulties, only about one-half of the FYE students were able to take PE 244, creating the large percentage selecting “Does not apply”. Overall one-third (33% in 1998, 40% in 1999, 41% in 2000, 38% in 2001, and 43% in 2002) of the students recall a presentation made in the PE 244 class. Since the prevention specialist also visited all section of PE 244 in 1998, students taking both classes would have received similar information in both their FYE and PE 244 classes. In 1999 the PE 244 sections received the social marketing message from peer educators that was unique from the Alcohol 101 presentation given in the FYE sections. Due to scheduling and coordination difficulties, no specific social marketing campaign was conducted in the Fall 2000-2002 sections of PE 244. Alcohol issues are part of the regular curriculum for the course and the social marketing message needs to integrated into the syllabus.

Public service announcements on drinking by the campus radio station.

Year / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
1998 (n = 702) / 8 / 9 / 47 / 37
1999 (n = 689) / 8 / 11 / 48 / 34
2000 (n = 658) / 7 / 5 / 45 / 43
2001 (n = 685) / 8 / 7 / 48 / 37
2002 (n = 582) / 6 / 6 / 50 / 38

Public service announcements were not part of the social marketing campaign. This question was included to test for the tendency for respondents to give socially desirable answers. It’s interesting to note that a similar low percentage of students (less than 10%) clearly recalled visits from the specialist when none occurred. Some students may have been giving socially desirable answers or they may have been remembering PSA’s (such as those from the Partnership for a Drug Free America) that do regularly run on the university radio station.

A discussion in your COLA group about CCSU’s drinking policies?

Year / Recall clearly / Recall
Vaguely / Do not recall / Does not apply
1998 (n = 683) / 19 / 25 / 28 / 27
1999 (n = 684) / 21 / 21 / 33 / 25
2000 (n = 670) / 24 / 21 / 27 / 28
2001 (n = 686) / 24 / 20 / 27 / 29
2002 (n = 585) / 18 / 22 / 26 / 34

Freshman orientation at CCSU depends heavily on student volunteers who are trained as group leaders. Peer orientation leaders (called COLA’s at CCSU) were told to discuss campus drinking policies as part of freshmen orientation. It’s not known how many COLA groups actually talked about this issue or how the issue was presented. At the end of the Fall 1998, only 19% of the respondents clearly recall this message, while over one-half didn’t recall or didn’t hear about the policies. The percentages remain largely unchanged for 1999-2002. Many students, particularly commuters, do not attend orientation and those that show up for orientation do not stay for all sessions. Orientation does not appear to a particularly good venue for social marketing communications.