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DRINKING IN NEW ZEALAND
National Surveys Comparison 1995 & 2000

Ruth Habgood, Sally Casswell, Megan Pledger and Krishna Bhatta

This research was a project of the Alcohol & Public Health Research Unit Funded by the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand and the Health Research Council of New Zealand

CONTENTS

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION
The Alcohol Environment in New Zealand

THE SURVEY: METHODOLOGY

CONSUMPTION
Prevalence of Drinking
Volume of Alcohol Consumed
Volume of Alcohol Consumed In Heavier Drinking Occasions
Home Production

DRINKING PATTERNS
Frequency of Drinking
Typical Occasion Quantity
Frequency of Drinking Larger Amounts
Frequency of Drinking Enough to Feel Drunk

LOCATION OF DRINKING

CHANGES IN DRINKING
Reasons for drinking less
Reasons for drinking more
Satisfaction with own drinking

ATTITUDES TO ALCOHOL

ALCOHOL-RELATED PROBLEMS
Problems from Own Drinking
Problems Associated with Others’ Drinking

HOST RESPONSIBILITY
Serving drunks
Police Monitoring
Purchase And Access To Alcohol On Licensed Premises By Younger Drinkers
Purchase Of Takeaway Alcohol By Younger Drinkers
Other Sources Of Alcohol Supply For Those Under Minimum Purchase Age

DISCUSSION

REFERENCES

Appendix A: Survey Methodology
Appendix B: Analysis Procedures
Appendix C: Calculation of Alcohol Consumption Measures
Appendix D: Amount of Alcohol Available for Consumption
Appendix E: Interview Schedule

PREFACE

This report provides an analysis of data collected in the 2000 National Alcohol Survey with comparisons made to the 1995 National Survey. The 2000 survey includes data from a booster sample of youth interviews.

This report is intended to provide a readily available source of statistics to inform work in alcohol and related fields as well as meeting the needs of a broader audience. It has been written for members of the New Zealand public who have an interest in alcohol issues, as well as including a level of detail suited to the needs of those who have a professional interest in these matters.

This report provides a national picture of drinking patterns, drinking problems and issues relating to host responsibility practices. The 2000 data were collected using a survey questionnaire and telephone interviewing procedures which were comparable with the national survey carried out in 1995 (Drinking in New Zealand: A National Survey 1995, Wyllie, Millard, Zhang, 1996). This report provides information on drinking in New Zealand in 2000 and also on changes between 1995 and 2000.

Trends have also been monitored via regular Auckland surveys since 1990. Results from the Auckland surveys covering the decade of the 1990s have been recently published in A Decade of Drinking: Auckland 1990-1999 (Casswell and Bhatta, 2001).

ISBN 0-908970-68-4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

These surveys were projects of the Alcohol & Public Health Research Unit (APHRU), funded as a core programme of the Health Research Council (HRC) and the Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC). Data collection for the 1995 and 2000 National Surveys were funded by ALAC in investigator-initiated grants to Professor Sally Casswell.

We especially wish to acknowledge the dedicated team of CATI interviewers and supervisors who undertook the data collection and coordinated the CATI team and the data collection process. The supervisors and interviewers who took part in the project included: Mavis Ah Chong, Rose Annear, Ginny Ballingall, Todd Bell, Kaaren Beverley, Vivek Bhandari, Mary Blade, Andrea Bygrave, Anne Carroll, Rosina Cassidy, Karl Chitham, Philippa Clark, Nathan Cowie, Sarah Cunningham, Yvonne Edwards, Christopher Eveni, Catherine Farmer, Greta Fisher, Mere Forbes, Riana Fox, Terangihau Gilbert, Dave Gulik, Milton Henry, Ross Hinton, Dallas Howe, Trish Howie, Wendy Hunt, Jeanette Johnson, Vicky Kapo, Erena Le Heron, Michael Littlewood, Don Mailei, Adrienne Manaia, Sally Marks, Karen McMillan, Robyn Melton, Marisa Mencarelli, Michael Morrissey, Andrew Mouat, Cherie Mulholland, Frances Nikolic, Peter Nock, Wikitoria Panapa, Katherine Park, Gary Paul, Gwen Reekie, John Robinson, Leanne Rolleston, Justine Ropata, Te Aroha Rountree, Godfrey Rudolph, Radhika Rup, Nicole Sheehan, Qing Shen, Louise Smith, Chandra So, Jenny St John, Jan Steiner, Fatu Sua, Ninakaye Taane, Robyn Taratu, Foketi (Kate) Taufu, Danielle Taylor, Kate Todd, Betty Tong, Rachel Veena, Honey Waitai, Sarah White, Robert Woolf, Andrew Young plus the other interviewers who wish to remain anonymous.

The data management and statistical analysis was carried out by Jia Fang Zhang in 1995 and by Dr Krishna Bhatta and Dr Megan Pledger in 2000. Statistical advice was provided by Joanna Stewart.

We would also like to thank Dr Chris Wilkins, Michael Ford, Val McAllum, Dr Allan Wyllie, Gary Connolly and Glen Barnes for their contributions to the project, plus all the others who have assisted in many different ways.

We are grateful to Dr Allan Wyllie who provided peer review of the report and to ALAC staff who commented on the preliminary analysis report in draft.

Last, but not least, we acknowledge the time and willingness of the participants to respond to the survey, without which the project could not have taken place.

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