Willner P, Hart K, Binmore J, Cavendish M, Dunphy E
Department of Psychology, University of Wales Swansea, UK.
Addiction. 2000 Sep;95(9):1373-88. doi: 10.1046/j.1360-0443.2000.95913738.x.
The aims of this study were to assess the ease with which adolescents in the United Kingdom are able to buy alcohol, to obtain information concerning vendors' perceptions of alcohol sales to adolescents, and to evaluate a police intervention intended to reduce underage alcohol sales.
DESIGN, SETTING, SUBJECTS: An unobtrusive naturalistic field study was conducted in two urban locations. Pairs of 13- and 16-year-old boys and girls were trained to attempt the purchase of different types of alcohol (alcopops, beer, cider, wine, spirits) from four different types of retail outlets (corner shops, off-licence, public houses and supermarkets), under the supervision of a researcher and typically a parent. The assessment was repeated, with the omission of the 13-year-old boys, following a police intervention in one of the performance sites, consisting of warning letters and visits to vendors, and the issue of a small number of police cautions. A total of 62 underage confederates in all attempted 470 test purchases in phase 1 and 348 in phase 2. Between the two waves of test purchases a sample (n = 95) of the same vendors was surveyed by telephone.
In phase 1, sales resulted from 88.1% of purchase attempts by 16-year-old girls, 77% of attempts by 16-year-old boys, 41.6% of 13-year-old girls and 4.1% of 13-year-old boys. These figures were generally comparable across locations, alcohol types and outlet types. Refusals were more likely when another vendor was present. Eighty per cent of sales to 16-year-olds and 65% of sales to 13-year-old girls were made without challenge. "Prove-It" ID cards were requested in fewer than 12% of purchase attempts in both age groups. Overall, there was no evidence that the police intervention reduced sales of alcohol to 16-year-olds. There was a hint that the intervention may have caused a very short-lasting decrease in sales to 13-year-old girls, but this was contained within an overall increase in sales to this group. Alcohol vendors reported that they rarely encountered underage customers or refused sale though 90% of vendors said that if they became suspicious, they would request ID. Only two vendors believed that they were likely to suffer adverse consequences if they sold alcohol to minors.
These data suggest that 16-year-olds, and girls as young as 13, have little difficulty in purchasing alcohol, and that there is little difference between different types of outlets in their willingness to sell alcohol to minors. Vendors perceive little risk in selling alcohol to adolescents. The fact that the police intervention failed to decrease sales suggests that vendors do not change their behaviour in response to the threat of legal action.
本研究旨在评估英国青少年购买酒精饮料的难易程度，获取有关商家对向青少年销售酒精饮料看法的信息，并评估一项旨在减少未成年人酒精饮料销售的警方干预措施。
设计、地点、研究对象：在两个城市地点进行了一项不引人注目的自然主义实地研究。在研究人员和通常是家长的监督下，对13岁和16岁的男孩和女孩两两配对进行培训，让他们尝试从四种不同类型的零售商店（街角商店、酒类专卖店、酒吧和超市）购买不同类型的酒精饮料（预调鸡尾酒、啤酒、苹果酒、葡萄酒、烈酒）。在其中一个执行地点进行了警方干预（包括发出警告信和走访商家，并发出少量警方告诫）之后，排除13岁男孩再次进行评估。在第一阶段，共有62名未成年同谋者总共进行了470次测试购买，第二阶段进行了348次。在两轮测试购买之间，通过电话对相同商家的一个样本（n = 95）进行了调查。
在第一阶段，16岁女孩的购买尝试中有88.1%成功买到酒精饮料，16岁男孩的购买尝试中有77%成功买到，13岁女孩的购买尝试中有41.6%成功买到，13岁男孩的购买尝试中有4.1%成功买到。这些数字在不同地点、酒精饮料类型和商店类型之间总体上具有可比性。当有其他商家在场时，被拒绝的可能性更大。向16岁青少年销售酒精饮料时，80%没有受到质疑，向13岁女孩销售酒精饮料时，65%没有受到质疑。在两个年龄组的购买尝试中，要求出示“证明身份”身份证的比例均不到12%。总体而言，没有证据表明警方的干预减少了向16岁青少年销售酒精饮料的情况。有迹象表明，这种干预可能使向13岁女孩销售酒精饮料的情况出现了非常短暂的下降，但这被该年龄组销售总量的增加所抵消。酒精饮料商家报告说，他们很少遇到未成年顾客或拒绝销售，不过90%的商家表示，如果他们产生怀疑，会要求出示身份证。只有两名商家认为，如果他们向未成年人销售酒精饮料，可能会遭受不良后果。
这些数据表明，16岁的青少年以及13岁的女孩购买酒精饮料几乎没有困难，不同类型的商店向未成年人销售酒精饮料的意愿几乎没有差别。商家认为向青少年销售酒精饮料风险很小。警方的干预未能减少销售这一事实表明，商家不会因法律行动威胁而改变其行为。
