Madison MS SPF-SIG Community 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

Sample Distribution by Gender

Sample Distribution by Grade of Oldest Youth

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 year olds to drink” (average=1.20) – Though, about 18 percent agree that “it is OK for 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

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

Communication About Alcohol Use Which 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 % 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 % I told my child it is OK for him/her to have a few drinks on a special occasion 82.8% I told my child about the risks of underage drinking and that they should not to drink % 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 % I have told my child it is OK to drink at home with parental supervision 20.7%

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 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

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 % 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 % They told their child it is OK for him/her to have a few drinks on a special occasion 155.8% They told their child about the risks of underage drinking and that they should not to drink % 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 % They told their child it is OK to drink at home with parental supervision 72.7%

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

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!