Madison MS SPF-SIGCommunity Survey Findings

January 27, 2009

Survey Implementation Process

• Tool development in conjunction with coalition and in alignment with Theory of Change model

• Sample – All West Seattle parents of school-age children

• Distribution to all Madison students for parent return

• Mailout – 1,200 random West Seattle school district parents

• Online survey posted through the West Seattle Blog

Components of Community Survey

• Demographics• Attitudes About Underage Drinking• Attitudes about Enforcement and

Consequences• Parental Monitoring and Supervision• Perceived Availability of Alcohol• Perceptions of Community Attitudes and

Behaviors

Demographics

• 417 parents with children between 5-18• Over 60 percent of respondents identified as

White/Caucasian; 14 percent Asian American, 8 percent Hispanic and 7 percent African American

• Over 70 percent Female• Over 70 percent with children at Madison MS

Sample Distribution by Race/Ethnicity

60.9

13.98.4 7 9.8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

%

White AsianAmerican

HispanicAfricanAmerican

Other

Race/Ethnicity

Sample Distribution by Gender

Female, 70.0%

Male, 30.0%

Sample Distribution by Grade of Oldest Youth

Elem Sch, 16.9%

Middle Sch, 53.9%

High Sch, 29.20%

ATTITUDES ABOUT UNDERAGE DRINKING

• In general, attitudes are not favorable for underage drinking– E.g., 76 percent strongly disagree that “it is OK for

teenagers to drink at parties if they don’t get drunk” (average=1.28)

– E.g., 83 percent strongly disagree that “it is OK for 15-17 year olds to drink” (average=1.20)

– Though, about 18 percent agree that “it is OK for 18-20 year olds to drink” (average=1.74)

ATTITUDES ABOUT UNDERAGE DRINKING

• Teen and Adult Alcohol use are viewed as problems in the community– About 32 percent report “alcohol use by teenagers” is a

“serious problem”– Over 23 percent report “alcohol use by adults” is a “serious

problem”

• Most parents do not feel it is OK to offer teenage children alcohol in their home– Over 72 percent report it is not OK for their own teenage

children at home– Over 98 report it is not OK for other teenage children

ATTITUDES ABOUT UNDERAGE DRINKING

• Some differences by Grade of Oldest Youth– Middle School parents report more strict attitudes about

underage drinking e.g., less likely to agree that “teenagers should be able to drink as long as they don’t drive afterwards.”

– Higher percentage of Elementary School parents believe it is OK to offer their own teenage children alcohol at home on “special occasions”

Underage Drinking Attitudes by Grade of Oldest Youth

1.41

1.19

1.36

1.051.1

1.151.2

1.251.3

1.351.4

1.45

Average (1-strongly disagree to 4-strongly agree)

Elementary SchoolMiddle School High School

"Teenagers should be able to drink as long as they don't drive afterwards"

Underage Drinking Attitudes by Grade of Oldest Youth

2

1.7 1.64

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

Average (1-strongly disagree to 4-strongly agree)

Elementary SchoolMiddle School High School

"It is OK for 18-20 year olds to drink alcohol"

Underage Drinking Attitudes by Grade of Oldest Youth

54.4%

74.9% 76.9%

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%

% report "No, never"

Elementary SchoolMiddle School High School

"Do you feel it is OK for parents to offer their teenage children alcohol in their home?"

PARENTAL MONITORING AND SUPERVISION• West Seattle parents believe in the importance of

monitoring and supervising youth– Over 42 percent report “monitoring their alcohol supply in their

home”; and additional 26 percent do not keep alcohol in their home

– Almost 70 percent “strongly agree” that a parent should keep track of where his or her child is”

• West Seattle parents report closely monitoring their teenage children when they go out– E.g., 82 percent “always” know where he/she is and who he/she

is with– E.g., 84 percent “always” set a time for the teen to be home

PARENTAL MONITORING AND SUPERVISION• Less consistent monitoring when it comes to issues

around alcohol– 34 percent “always” ask if alcohol or drugs will be present

where he/she is going– 38 percent “always” check to see if teen is under the influence

of alcohol/drugs

• There is communication about underage alcohol use between parents and youth– E.g., 79 percent of parents reporting talking with their child in

the last 3 months– Over 86 percent have set specific rules about not using alcohol

Parental Monitoring and Supervision

89.482.2

34.442.0

83.7

37.8

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

% Report "Always"

Ask who withKnow where isAsk if alcoholpresent

Contact otherparents

Set a TimeCheck if UnderInfluence

When your oldest child between 9-18 goes out in the evening or the weekend, how often do you...

Communication About Alcohol UseWhich of the following statements best describes your discussion with your children (between the ages of 9 and 18) about alcohol use in the last 3 months?

N

HAVE talked with child about alcohol use 289 79.3% of total sample

% of those who have talked with children

I told my child that alcohol is not OK and they will receive consequences if they drink

166 57.4%

I told my child it is OK for him/her to have a few drinks on a special occasion

8 2.8%

I told my child about the risks of underage drinking and that they should not to drink.

137 47.4%

I told my child that even though they are less than 21, they will have to decide for themselves whether or not to drink alcohol.

11 3.8%

I have told my child it is OK to drink at home with parental supervision

2 0.7%

PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNITY NORMS

• Respondents feel that community residents have less favorable attitudes about underage drinking– E.g., about 40 percent of the respondents strongly disagree that “most

adults in West Seattle believe it is OK for 15-17 year olds to drink”

• There are some mixed results about parental monitoring– About 47 percent of respondents agree that “most West Seattle parents

know where their teens are and who they are with when not home”– About 70 percent report that the typical West Seattle parent has talked

with their teenagers about alcohol use in the last 3 months– Over 70 percent agree that “most parents have specific rules about not

using alcohol”

PERCEPTIONS vs. ACTUALITY

• There is a gap between individual attitudes and perceived community attitudes– Almost 76 percent strongly disagree that “it is OK for

teenagers to drink at parties if they don’t get drunk”– Only 29 percent strongly disagree that “most adults in

West Seattle believe that it is OK for teenagers to drink at parties if they don’t get drunk”

PERCEPTIONS vs. ACTUALITY

• There is a gap when contrasting parental monitoring with perceptions of monitoring– 82 percent of parents report they always “know where

their child is and who they are with”– 96 percent “agree” that “when my child is not home,

parent knows where he/she is and who he/she is with”– About 47 percent of respondents agree that “most West

Seattle parents know where their teens are and who they are with when not home”

• No gap in actual vs. perceived communication about alcohol use

Perception vs. Actual – Social Norms

76.2

29.5

83.0

39.1

0.010.020.030.040.050.060.070.080.090.0

% "Strongly Disagree"

OK drink at party if not drunkOk for 15-17 years olds todrink

Self-ReportPerception of Most Adults

Perceived Communication Among Parents and Teens

Which of the following statements best describes the discussion in a typical West Seattle family with their children (between the ages of 9 and 18) about alcohol use in the last 3 months?

N

They HAVE talked with their children about alcohol use 257 70.4% of sample

% of those who say that typical West Seattle parent has

talked with children

They told their child that alcohol is not OK and they will receive consequences if they drink

118 45.9%

They told their child it is OK for him/her to have a few drinks on a special occasion

15 5.8%

They told their child about the risks of underage drinking and that they should not to drink.

128 49.8%

They told their child that even though they are less than 21, they will have to decide for themselves whether or not to drink alcohol.

17 6.6%

They told their child it is OK to drink at home with parental supervision

7 2.7%

PERCEIVED AVAILABILITY OF ALCOHOL

• Community members believe it is “very easy” for youth to get alcohol through various sources– E.g., 39 percent report it is “very easy” to sneak alcohol

from home or friend’s home”– E.g., 30 percent report it is “very easy” to get alcohol at a

party at someone’s home

• Not much belief that it is easy to get alcohol from parents– E.g., about 4 percent report it is “very easy” to get their

parents to give alcohol to them

Perceived Availability of Alcohol

2.251.89

3.04

2.02

2.89

2.1

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

Average (1-very easy TO 4-very hard)

Older PersonBuy

Sneak AlcoholParents Give Party Public event FamilyCelebration

How easy/hard is it for underage youth in your community to...

What have we learned?

• Strong negative attitudes in the community as related to underage drinking

• Lots of parental monitoring• It is really easy for youth to get alcohol (even from

parents and events)• The gap between actual and perceived norms does

exist!