ESRC Society Today

This project will investigate the ways that alcohol advertising might shape young people’s identities, for example by encouraging them to see themselves as ‘cool’, as manly/feminine or attractive if they drink a particular product, or to view drinking to intoxication as normal or harmless. The study will focus on young adults aged 18 to 25, using an innovative combination of qualitative research methods. We will analyse a selected sample of current alcohol adverts aimed at young people on TV, radio, magazines and the internet, examining the images and meanings associated with particular drinks. This will be followed by a series of informal group discussions with 60-70 young adults in three geographical locations: a major city centre in the English Midlands with a diverse population; a seaside town and a small market town in the West Country with more homogenous populations and a more limited range of drinking venues. Respondents will be recruited from a range of gender, socio-economic and ethnic groups, including groups of students and locals from the inner city area. Two full-time research officers will be employed on the project, which runs from April 2005 to September 2007, and is likely to have significant implications for the government’s Alcohol Strategy.

This Project is part of Identities and Social Action programme

Award/Grant Outputs and Documents
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