Shifting the Narrative: From Party Mom to Most Don’t

Client: The project was funded in a powerful partnership between the Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District, the Los Gatos Union School District, and the Town of Los Gatos.

Client Type: Municipal

Location: Los Gatos, California

Focus Audiences: 8th-12th grade students, and their parents, guardians, and teachers.

Focus Issue: Youth alcohol use

Spirit

The client came to us with the concern that underage alcohol use was rampant and that most parents accepted this to be the norm. The high-profile arrest of a local “party mom” supported this version of what Los Gatos was like as a community. Was this who they really were as a community? 

Science

When we administered our Positive Community Norms Student, Parent/Guardian, and School Staff surveys to measure behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions around alcohol use, the data told a very different story. Through these surveys we found that:

  • MOST Los Gatos 8th-12th graders do not drink in a typical month. In fact, less than 20% of students reported using alcohol monthly or more often. 

  • MOST Los Gatos 8th-12th graders -- more than 77% -- said they would rather not drink alcohol when they hang out with their friends, and 88% agreed that they don’t need to drink alcohol to have fun. 

  • 76% of Los Gatos 8th-12th graders believe that parents and guardians should clearly communicate with their children about the importance of not using alcohol. 

However, the surveys also revealed most people in the community do not see each other accurately: school staffers think parents are more permissive than they are, parents think other parents have more liberal attitudes about alcohol than they do, and everyone -- students, parents/guardians, and school staff -- think that youth use alcohol and want to use alcohol way more than they actually do. Surveying different groups across the social ecology is a powerful way to get a layered picture of the misperceptions at work in a community, and to identify ways to correct them. 

Action

This PCN data is being used to further increase norms of non-use, to encourage parents to communicate with their students about alcohol non-use, and to equip parents and school staff with better ways to work together to support student health. 

Return

The “party mom” headlines didn’t tell the real story. Our PCN surveys showed that MOST Los Gatos students don’t use alcohol regularly, and don’t want or need it to have a good time. But there is still a long way to go -- while 80% non-use is a strong norm, we hope to see youth alcohol non-use numbers climb as the intervention continues.