Power of the Positive
A social norms approach, sharing our positive healthy norm.
FAQS
What is social norms theory?
How are Palo Alto students doing when it comes to drug and alcohol use? And what about perceptions?
Does that mean we don’t have a drug and alcohol problem in Palo Alto?
How do we know the students were honest on the survey and the information we have obtained is valid?
What comes next?
What can parents do?
Answers
What is Social Norms Theory?
Social norms theory assumes that much of our behavior is influenced by how other members of our social groups behave, and that our beliefs about what others do often is incorrect. Social norms theory predicts that individuals overestimate the degree to which peers have permissive attitudes or behavior with respect to alcohol and other drugs or other health problems, and underestimate the extent to which peers engage in healthy, health-promoting behavior and risk-reducing behavior. Informing individuals of the accurate and more healthy norm will result in reductions in high risk behavior.
How are Palo Alto students doing?
We are happy to report that the majority of Palo Alto students are making healthy decisions with regard to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. However, a large majority of students are still overestimating the prevalence of substance use and underestimating the prevalence of healthy behaviors and attitudes among their peers. Gaining a more accurate alignment of perceptions and behavior is a critical step toward reducing underage drinking and drug use.
Does that mean we don’t have a drug and alcohol problem in Palo Alto?
No. Although the majority of our students are making healthy decisions, the data also reveals a problem of alcohol and substance use within the Palo Alto student population. Any amount of teen alcohol and drug use is of great concern. Teens involved with alcohol and other drugs are exactly the reason we are employing a social norms approach across all 5 secondary campuses.
How do we know the students were honest and the information we have obtained is valid?
Careful measures were taken to ensure the credibility of these results and to ensure they accurately reflect the student voices. Student responses were nearly identical across the 3 middle schools and between the 2 high schools over a period of 5 years. Thousands of middle and high school students would have had to coordinate their responses to create patterns this similar.
What comes next?
We need to reflect back student voices and true norms of healthy behavior. Our goal is to stimulate a lively, public conversation among students, parents and teachers about the relationship between perceptions, reality and its effect on alcohol, drug use and other risk behaviors. Confronting tough questions together as well as acknowledging the healthy attitudes and behaviors of the majority of teens is critical to the effectiveness of this approach.
Approaching the survey data from the positive perspective of the healthy majority is the defining and most critical component of a social norms approach to reducing teen drug and alcohol use. It provides a new way to look at the data, new voices to listen to and consider. It challenges us to keep an accurate context in mind as we discuss teens, underage drinking and drug use.
What can parents do?
- Familiarize yourself with the survey results to obtain an accurate context of what students are actually doing. (see Reality Check)
- Consider the role misperceptions play in our daily lives and how they affect our attitudes and behaviors.
- Enter into open & honest conversations with your children about alcohol and other drug use. Convey your family’s values, rules, and expectations about avoiding harmful behavior. Talk to other parents about these same issues.
- Student publications provide an insight into student behavior and attitudes and are a great source to use for conversation starters.
- Challenge the way media portrays teens.
- Take advantage of your important role in influencing your child’s behavior. Recognize and acknowledge the positive behaviors & healthy choices your child (and the majority of their school peers) exhibits.
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