About the Social Norms Campaign
Check out the posters...
You've seen them on busses, in the paper, posted in residence halls...now, get a closer look at the social norms campaign posters in our gallery!
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is UMass Amherst’s social norms campaign?
- How does it work?
- Why not ‘just say no?’
- What if people don’t believe the message?
- How did you come up with the numbers?
What is UMass Amherst’s social norms campaign?
The social norms campaign you’re seeing everywhere is a project of the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking (CCC). Materials are focusing on UMass Amherst undergrads and alcohol use.
Here, like at many other schools, there’s a big gap between students’ perceived and actual drinking behaviors.
People believe most UMass students are drinking a lot, a lot of the time, when in fact, the majority drink moderately, if at all. Two out of three have zero to four drinks when they party.
How does it work?
Research shows that people who identify with a particular group, and care what those people think will be most influenced by the norms of that group. For example, students are more likely to be influenced by other students than the general public.
Why not ‘just say no?’
Social norms communications focus on the positive. Instead of using scare tactics or other approaches that make people feel bad, they work by reinforcing positive behaviors.
What if people don’t believe the message?
That’s to be expected. If everyone who saw the message agreed, there’d be no gap between perception and reality.
Social norms messages generate skepticism, because they often contradict people’s thoughts or beliefs. As time goes on, people process the information and many ultimately change their minds.
