1. A Social Norms Approach to the
Prevention of Problem Gambling
Among College Students
Stephanie Asteriadis, MA,CPS
Carina Rivera, MPH,CPH,CHES
University of Nevada, Reno
Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies
Supported by the State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
2. Our Mission . . .
“is to provide training, technical
assistance, evaluation, research, and
other services to support prevention,
treatment and recovery in the alcohol
and other drugs field.”
3. Example Grants
• National Frontier and Rural Addiction
Technology Transfer Center
• Center for Substance Abuse Prevention’s West
Resource Team
• Nevada Prevention Resource Center
• Frontier Regional FASD Training Center
4. Topics to Be Addressed
• What are social marketing and social norms
marketing?
• What are the steps involved in developing a
social norms marketing campaign?
• How can the concept be applied to problem
gambling in college students?
• Preliminary UNR results
6. Social Norms Marketing
• Social norms are people's beliefs about the
attitudes and behaviors that are normal,
acceptable, or even expected in a particular
social context.
• People tend to behave in accordance with
actual or perceived social norms
7. Social Norms Theory
• Why do we misperceive?
– Attribution Theory – we interpret our own and
others’ behavior differently
• Situational vs. Dispositional
– Other Errors/Heuristics
• Generalizing friends’ behavior to others
• Certain experiences more vivid
• Culture/media (Glass half empty)
8. Montana Model of Social Norms
This model has been used to:
• Reduce marijuana usage in middle and high school
students in public schools
• Reduce underage tobacco use
• Reduce alcohol-related automobile crashes
The Montana Model was pilot tested nationally by the
BACCHUS & GAMMA Peer Education Network at 13
college campuses for issues of tobacco & sexual
responsibility.
9. Steps
1. Planning and Environmental Advocacy
Research
2. Baseline Data
3. Message Development
4. Market Plan
5. Pilot Test and Refine Materials
6. Implement Campaign
7. Evaluation
10. The Five “P’s” Market Mix
Product
Promotion
PlacePrice
Partners
11. Evidence for Binge Drinking Reduction
• Western Washington
44% in 9 years
28% in 3 years
12% in 2 years
8% in 1 year
12.
13.
14. UNR Program Action Plan
Exaggerated
perceptions of
existing gambling
norms
Risky gambling
behaviors
Poor academic
performance due
to risky gambling
behaviors
Low perception of
harm regarding
gambling
behaviors
Identify actual &
misperceived
norms
Determine social
norms messages
Test messages
(focus groups)
Reduced
misperceptions
about gambling
behavior norms
Decrease in risky
gambling behaviors
Decrease in the
prevalence of
problem and
pathological
gambling
Improved
academic
performance
Strategies
Short-term
Outcomes
Long-term
OutcomesTarget Factors
Distribute
messages
(media & print)
Increased
perception of harm
regarding problem
gambling
Harm reduction
16. Method
• Survey development
– Prior research
– UNR program needs
• Recruitment email sent to all undergraduate
and graduate students at UNR
– 5 to 10 minutes
– Responses anonymous
– Emphasized importance of their responses
– Sent the second week of the Spring semester
17. Sample
• Exclusion criteria
– Must be at least 18 years of age
• 18,227 students on campus
– 9 students declined to participate
– 3 students disqualified due to age
– 734 responses were submitted for analysis
– 4.3% response rate
18. Survey
• 31 questions
– 9 demographic
– 9 on gambling knowledge, attitude and behaviors
– 2 on alcohol use
– 2 UNR-related
– 3 gambling help-related
– 6 on perception of other students gambling
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors
19. Survey
• 31 questions
– 9 demographic
– 9 on gambling knowledge, attitude and behaviors
– 2 on alcohol use
– 2 UNR-related
– 3 gambling help-related
– 6 on perception of the typical students’ gambling
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors
26. Amount Won in the Past 30 Days
0.1%
0.4%
3.1%
22.2%
48.4%
25.6%
0.9%
1.5%
2.5%
6.3%
14.3%
74.6%
More than $2000
$501 to $2000
$201 to $500
$51 to $200
$5 to $50
Less than $5
Yourself
The Typical Student
27. Amount Spent (Lost) in the Past 30 Days
0.9%
3.6%
12.9%
40.9%
33.1%
8.6%
0.7%
0.7%
1.9%
5.7%
17.3%
73.6%
More than $2000
$501 to $2000
$201 to $500
$51 to $200
$5 to $50
Less than $5
Yourself
The Typical Student
28. Amount of Financial Aid Spent
Gambling in the Past 30 Days
6.3%
1.1%
2.3%
11.6%
24.6%
21.9%
7.1%
25.2%
5.0%
0.6%
0.1%
0.6%
1.1%
1.0%
0.4%
91.2%
Did not receive financial aid
More than $2000
$501 to $2000
$201 to $500
$51 to $200
$5 to $50
Less than $5
None Yourself
The Typical Student
29. Amount of Financial Aid Spent
Gambling in the Past 30 Days
5.0%
0.6%
0.1%
0.6%
1.1%
1.0%
0.4%
91.2%
Did not receive financial aid
More than $2000
$501 to $2000
$201 to $500
$51 to $200
$5 to $50
Less than $5
None Yourself
Only 5% of
students gambled
with their
financial aid
30. Amount of Financial Aid Spent
Gambling in the Past 30 Days
6.3%
1.1%
2.3%
11.6%
24.6%
21.9%
7.1%
25.2%
Did not receive financial aid
More than $2000
$501 to $2000
$201 to $500
$51 to $200
$5 to $50
Less than $5
None
The Typical Student
While, students
thought 75% of
students gambled
with their financial
aid money
42. Focus Group Questions
• Which of the these messages have the most
powerful message?
• Which of these statements do you believe?
• How can we word these statements in a way
to get your peers’ attention?
• Which of these pictures caught your eye?
• Do you think you could be friends with these
people?
43. Focus Group Example Messages
• 41.3% of UNR students have done something
they later regretted as a result of their
drinking/drug use
• 74% of UNR students would prefer to have
alcohol and drug free parties to attend
• 85% of UNR students believe that alcohol does
NOT make men sexier
• 82.6% of students surveyed refused a drink
when out with friends who were drinking
53. Distribution
Route
•Facebook
•Twitter
•Radio ads and ads in student newspaper
Media
•NRAP
•Residential Life
•Campus Recreation and Wellness
•SHC – Campus Health Education and Promotion
Appropriate departmental
websites
•Posters
•Table tentsResidence Halls
•Websites
•Join in with existing health observancesStudent Groups, Clubs,
and Organizations
•Posters
•Table tents
High Traffic Areas of
Campus
Example Methods
54. Evaluation
• In Spring 2015, a recruitment email will be
sent to all undergraduate and graduate
students
– Students will answer the same survey
– The results will be tested to see if the perceived
norms have moved toward the actual norms
• Number of ‘likes’ on the NRAP Facebook page
55. 1. Rigor of a research-driven process
2. Competition with highly financed
campaigns
3. Presenting the “product” in a way
which reinforces core needs
4. Evaluating the success of the campaign
5. Focus on negative approaches are often
popular but may not be effective
Challenges with
Social Norms Marketing
56. In Summary
• Definition of a social norms marketing
campaign
• Application of a social norms marketing
campaign to problem gambling prevention
• Utility and intended results of a social norms
marketing campaign on a college campus
• Take home message
