Olafsdóttir H
Landspítalinn, Department of Psychiatry, The University Hospital, Reykjavík, Iceland.
J Stud Alcohol. 1998 Jan;59(1):107-14. doi: 10.15288/jsa.1998.59.107.
The purpose of the present study is to examine the changes in alcoholic beverage preference and the underlying social and cultural dynamics that followed the legalization of strong beer in Iceland in 1989.
Data from three nationwide surveys on drinking habits carried out among a random sample of all Icelanders, men and women, 20-69 years old, are analyzed. A questionnaire was mailed to the prospective respondents and in 1988 the response rate was 75.1%, in 1989 it was 73.3% and in 1992 it was 74.7%.
Total alcohol consumption peaked the year after strong beer was introduced, but leveled off in the following years as the novelty of the new beverage faded away and real income declined. A shift in beverage preference towards beer took place as soon as it became available. The survey data indicate that almost all sociodemographic groups are moving from the traditional distilled spirits to weaker beverages, beer in particular. The groups contributing most to the current preference for lighter beverages are those living in the capital area, women, individuals aged 30-49 years, people in the academic professions and management, and men belonging to the service professions.
The results suggest some important conclusions regarding alcohol policy. The collective behavior of drinkers documented in this study supports the view that the general population is an important target group for alcohol policy measures. Particular attention to specific subgroups of drinkers may be applied as a supplementary measure.
本研究旨在探讨1989年冰岛烈性啤酒合法化后酒精饮料偏好的变化以及潜在的社会文化动态。
分析了对冰岛所有20至69岁男女进行的三次全国性饮酒习惯调查的数据。向潜在受访者邮寄了问卷，1988年的回复率为75.1%，1989年为73.3%，1992年为74.7%。
烈性啤酒推出后的次年，酒精总消费量达到峰值，但随着新饮料新鲜感的消退和实际收入的下降，在随后几年趋于平稳。烈性啤酒一经上市，饮料偏好就转向了啤酒。调查数据表明，几乎所有社会人口群体都在从传统的蒸馏酒转向酒精度较低的饮料，尤其是啤酒。目前对低度饮料偏好贡献最大的群体是居住在首都地区的人、女性、30至49岁的人、学术职业和管理层人员以及服务行业的男性。
研究结果对酒精政策提出了一些重要结论。本研究记录的饮酒者的集体行为支持了这样一种观点，即普通人群是酒精政策措施的重要目标群体。对特定饮酒亚群体给予特别关注可作为一项补充措施。
