Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for death and disability and there is a need for evidence-based policy measures to tackle excess alcohol consumption and related harms. A 2023 study, led by University College Cork (UCC), examined attitudes towards alcohol control measures among the general public in Ireland in the context of significant reforms undertaken in the Irish alcohol policymaking landscape.1

In this research, conducted by Dr Susan Calnan and Dr Seán Millar of the UCC School of Public Health and Dr Deirdre Mongan of the Health Research Board, a representative household survey was undertaken in three regions of Cork and Kerry. A total of 1,069 participants took part. Descriptive and univariate analyses were used to examine factors associated with support for alcohol control policy measures.

Notable findings from the study, published in the European Journal of Public Health, include the following:

• The survey suggests that there is broad public support for evidence-based alcohol policies legislated under Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018. Support was strongest for a ban on alcohol advertising near schools and creches (85.1%) and for warning labels on alcohol products (81.9%). A ban on price promotions and support for minimum unit pricing generated the lowest levels of support overall, although over 50% of respondents still indicated their support for these measures.
• Differences were found in levels of support according to sociodemographic characteristics, alcohol consumption patterns, knowledge of health risks, and harms experienced. For example, women were more likely than men to support alcohol control policy measures, while participants with harmful alcohol use patterns were significantly less likely to support these measures. Respondents with a greater awareness of the health risks of alcohol also showed higher levels
  of support.
• Surprisingly, participants who had experienced harms due to other people’s drinking showed lower support compared with those who had not experienced such harms. However, this may be partly explained by the fact that these subjects were also more likely to have engaged in harmful alcohol use patterns themselves.

The authors suggest that additional research could help shed further light on reasons for such differences and to help inform strategies aimed at increasing public support for, and understanding of, public health policies related to alcohol use.

1    Calnan S, Millar SR and Mongan D (2023) Support for evidence-based alcohol policy in Ireland: results from a representative household survey. Eur J Public Health, 33(2): 323–330. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/38321/