2010.01.26 - Ci Research Insight: Alcohol Pricing and the Impact on Young People
Alcohol consumption in England has increased by 40% since 1970. Whilst a wide variety of services, campaigns and controls have been introduced or proposed to address this, the call for a minimum price of 50 pence per unit of alcohol by HMG’s Chief Medical Officer has taken centre stage in the political debate.
Particular attention in the argument for price increases has been paid to underage drinkers. Qualitative investigations with young people conducted by Ci Research have supported this view, with patterns of drinking being found to be heavily influenced by alcohol content and price. However, while the proposed price increases will undoubtedly make obtaining alcohol more expensive, the disposable income of young people suggests that a high proportion will not be ‘priced out of the market’.
In addition, the apparent willingness of parents to source alcohol on behalf of their children may further mitigate the impact of price increases. Indeed, a quantitative survey of parental attitudes conducted by Ci Research revealed that 27% felt it was common for parents to buy alcohol for children aged 12-15, with this figure rising to 53% where young people were aged 16-17.
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