Princeton Weekly Bulletin February 1, 1999
Findings from the Report on the 1998 Core Survey
1. As in 1995, more than half of all undergraduates use alcohol before age 18; about one-fourth of all undergraduates first use alcohol when they reach college age (i.e., presumably after they arrive at Princeton).
2. The number of Princeton students who report binge drinking has remained virtually steady since 1993. As in 1995, 43 percent of Princeton undergraduates report binge drinking at least once in the two weeks prior to the survey.
In order to have a more accurate understanding of the experience of students whom the survey categorizes as binge drinkers -- and of the impact of their drinking on the campus community -- we analyzed the frequency with which students report experiencing certain "medium range" consequences of alcohol use: vomiting, being hurt or injured, missing class, damaging property, memory loss, and regretting one's actions because of alcohol use. This analysis confirmed that binge drinking does negatively affect the quality of life for those students who even on occasion drink to excess, as well as for the community. We have heard from some students that they do not view binge drinking as a problem or that they do not find the evidence convincing or severe enough to cause alarm, yet 68 percent of binge drinkers indicate that they have regretted their actions while intoxicated.
3. Nine percent of all undergraduates report patterns of alcohol use that suggest that they are potential problem drinkers.
The "potential problem drinker" category refers to binge drinkers who a) have consumed five or more drinks in one sitting at least twice in a two-week period, b) drink an average of 15 or more drinks per week, and c) attribute one or more of the following consequences to their drinking during the last year: getting hurt or injured; contemplating suicide; taking advantage of another sexually or being taken advantage of sexually; driving under the influence three or more times; damaging property three or more times; getting in trouble with campus police three or more times; thinking that they might have a problem with alcohol abuse on three or more occasions.
4. Binge drinking is still more prevalent among men than among women.
The data regarding patterns of drinking by gender (men vs. women) have remained essentially stable; however, a 5 percent increase in women's binge drinking between 1993 and 1998 might suggest a trend of increased bingeing that would be cause for concern.
5. Binge drinking is more prevalent among white students than students of color. For 1998, 52 percent of white students reported binge drinking, while 32 percent of students of color reported binge drinking.
6. Of the four classes, more freshmen report increasing their alcohol use over the past 12 months.
7. Binge drinking affects academic performance. For 1998, 20 percent of students reported that they had performed poorly on a test or project, and 56 percent reported they had missed a class specifically because of their "drinking or drug use."
8. The severity and the frequency of the consequences that students report experiencing confirm our sense that binge drinking and its effects have a serious impact on this campus.
While some of the consequences primarily affect the individual (hangover, regret, memory loss, missed class, etc.), the others adversely affect the community and have the potential to cause serious harm, even death. These include driving while intoxicated, taking advantage of another sexually, damaging property, and other more serious consequences.
9. Ninety-eight percent of students believe that the social atmosphere on campus promotes alcohol use. The perception that the social atmosphere at Princeton promotes alcohol use remains unchanged and virtually universal.
Students continue to tell us that they lack social alternatives to alcohol-centered parties or gatherings. We hope that the new programming opportunities that will be available when the Frist Campus Center opens, together with other initiatives, will provide alternatives that do not revolve around alcohol. However, colleges and universities in urban areas, where social alternatives abound, are also dealing with campus reputations for promoting alcohol use. A recent report from the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania, for example, states that "students enter Penn with a preconception of what is both standard and acceptable conduct and thus there is a dispro- portionate number of heavy drinkers seeking and gaining admission."