Christmas drinking drives record numbers to Drinkaware website
17 Mar 2010
Britons exceeded their recommended daily drinking guidelines by over 50% during the month of December, according to research released today by alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware*.
The data, compiled from what is thought to be the largest interactive assessment of the nation’s drinking habits, was conducted by the charity over the festive season.
Via completion of a unit calculator, the study asked UK adults how much they had drunk in the previous 24 hours. With daily recommended guidelines of 2-3 units for women and 3-4 units for men, Drinkaware found that both men (5.4 units per day) and women (4.1) exceeded their guidelines** every day throughout the month, with December 10th, the most popular day in the festive season for drinking alcohol.
Drinkaware’s ‘What’s Britain Drinking this Christmas?’ campaign generated record levels of interest from consumers, including:
• A monthly record for traffic to the Drinkaware website of 204,858
• 30,407 entries into the Drinkaware alcohol unit calculator
• 4,087 members of the public completing the unit calculator via experiential activity (averaging one every 35 seconds)
• 152 pieces of media coverage in consumer media across the month
The campaign, which enabled members of the public to complete the unit calculator either via the website or through interactive displays in four British cities, including London’s Covent Garden, found that those in London had the highest average daily alcohol consumption, with the units consumed on a daily basis averaging at 6.8 per person. In second place was the North East (5.45), followed by Wales (5.15) and Yorkshire/East Anglia (4.95). The area that stuck closest to the unit guidelines was the South East with an average daily consumption of 4.4 units per person, with East Midlands (4.6) and the West Midlands (4.75), not far behind. In research conducted prior to the study, nearly half (47%) of those surveyed predicted they would drink more than the recommended daily unit guidelines, while one in six (16%) said that December is the one month of the year they can drink and not feel guilty. **
Chris Sorek, Chief Executive of Drinkaware, says: “There are certain times of the year when people drink more than they should and the festive season is one of those times. Over Christmas and New Year we wanted to find out how much people were drinking and remind consumers that the long term effects of drinking to excess can last for much longer than Christmas.
“It’s great that so many people up and down the country got involved with our nationwide study. Record levels of website traffic and 30,000 unit calculator completions are fantastic results for this campaign and we know through PR that we reached millions of people with our message. Given the time of year and knowing that people use December as an excuse to drink without feeling guilty, we were really pleased that so many people were receptive to finding out about units. Calories proved to be a great way of getting people to think about how much they were drinking.”
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For further information, including interviews with spokespeople, please contact:
Laura Bryce at Frank PR – 020 7693 6999/07890329191, drinkaware@frankpr.it , laurabryce@frankpr.it
Siobhan McCann at Drinkaware –07827 971744, smccann@drinkaware.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
*Data taken from 30,406 completions of the Drinkaware unit calculator, 1 – 31st December
** ICM interviewed a random sample of 2010 adults aged 18+ in GB from its online panel between 27th-29th November 2009. Surveys were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk
• Drinkaware provides consumers with information to make informed decisions about the effects of alcohol on their lives and lifestyles. Our public education programmes, grants, expert information, and resources help create awareness and effect positive change. An independent charity established in 2007, Drinkaware works alongside the medical profession, the alcohol industry and government to achieve its goals. For further information visit www.drinkaware.co.uk
- Page last updated by
- Root User, 19 Apr 2010.
