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A Psychographic Analysis of College Students' Alcohol Consumption: Implications for Prevention and Consumer Education
Author(s) -
Shim Soyeon,
Maggs Jennifer L.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
family and consumer sciences research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.372
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1552-3934
pISSN - 1077-727X
DOI - 10.1177/1077727x04272365
Subject(s) - psychographic , binge drinking , psychology , situational ethics , recreation , consumption (sociology) , demographics , social psychology , alcohol consumption , clinical psychology , advertising , medicine , alcohol , environmental health , poison control , injury prevention , demography , chemistry , sociology , law , business , social science , biochemistry , political science
On the basis of alcohol consumption rates, the authors segmented a sample of college students ( N = 669) into four types: the non/seldom drinker (17%), the social drinker (43%), the typical binge drinker (25%), and the heavy binge drinker (14%). Once the four segments were defined, each was profiled employing a psychographic scheme that encompasses personal values, beliefs regarding drinking, alcohol shopping orientations, situational contingencies, and demographics. Binge drinkers were best differentiated from social drinkers and non/seldom drinkers by social‐hedonic characteristics such as social‐affiliation values, psychological consequences of drinking, recreational shopping orientations, and social situations. Binge drinkers were also differentiated by several other market/consumption relevant factors. On the other hand, several utilitarian characteristics, such as health/moral consciousness, differentiated non/seldom drinkers from other groups. Discussion and the implications of this study are presented with the goal of aiding binge drinkers themselves as well as prevention and intervention practitioners.