Bangkok--16 Oct--Aziam Burson - Marsteller
Most Thais who consume alcohol believe that drunk driving is a very serious problem, and they encourage responsible drinking plus more severe punishment for drunk drivers who break the law. Alcohol manufacturers are also encouraged to educate the public about alcohol and provide financial support for “No drinking among youth” programs. It is encouraging to learn that Thais who drink alcohol plan to reduce their consumption in the future due to health-related concerns.
According to Mrs. Daranee Charoen-Rajapark, Managing Director of MarketWise Ltd., the recent survey findings in the ‘Thailand Alcohol Study’ include details of corruption being the most serious issue among many other problems currently occurring in Thai society. Consumption of illegal drugs was considered the second most serious problem followed by the reckless behavior of teens, crime and violence, AIDS, smoking, drinking of alcohol,, a lack of ethics in society, prostitution, domestic violence/abuse, inferior education and healthcare respectively. The survey was conducted with 3,978 respondents aged 18-60 years in Bangkok and nationwide. Among the total respondents, 2,400 people were regular consumers of alcohol while those who drank little or no alcohol accounted for a total of 1,578 people.
“Upon analysis of the details of the most serious problem of alcohol drinking, both males and females of all age ranges, income levels and geographical areas, consider drunk driving as the most serious issue (65%), followed by violence and crime caused by alcohol drinking (22%). A majority (81%) of the study participants agree unanimously that all drinkers should drink responsibly while 78% suggest that alcohol manufacturers should undertake more efforts to become socially responsible. In addition, 77% of regular alcohol drinkers surveyed believe that alcohol could change a person’s personality and 76% recommend more intense penalties for drinkers who have broken the law,” said Mrs. Daranee.
Altogether, 53% of the total respondents note that alcohol is harmful to one’s health. On the contrary, 11% of the total respondents note that alcohol is beneficial for one’s health as it helps to release tension and facilitates better sleeping. Meanwhile, 10% of the study participants state that alcohol is consumed for the purpose of socializing on various occasions. In terms of the respondents’ ages, the younger the respondents, the higher the likelihood of their believing that alcohol is bad for one’s health whereas for the older respondents, the higher the likelihood to consider alcohol as being good for them. In terms of gender, it is seen that a higher percentage of males view alcohol more positively than females at 14% to 6% respectively.
The survey reveals that more people expect to drink less alcohol in the future. Of the total regular drinkers surveyed, 63% intend to drink less or stop drinking alcohol in the future as they believe that alcohol is the main cause of many problems, such as alcoholism, high blood pressure, and amnesia among others. In addition, some study participants appreciate that they need to maintain their health as they grow older. Meanwhile 36% of the regular drinkers intend to drink the same amount of alcohol in the future. For non-drinkers and those who drink small amounts of alcohol, 62% convey that they have no plans to start drinking or drink more in the future as they believe that alcohol causes a range of health-related problems.
As for the occasions to drink alcohol, 90% drink at parties/entertainment with friends, 71% drink at various celebrations and 56% drink during special occasions. These findings are consistent across all genders, ages, income and regions. As for drinking in the future, the types of alcohol that the drinkers expect to drink include beer (88%), whiskey (60%), brandy (18%) and white liquor (17%).
In terms of alcohol content of the alcohol beverages, 58% of the total regular drinkers are not aware of their alcohol content level while 42% are aware of the alcohol content incorporated in their alcohol beverages. In this group, a higher percentage of the male respondents at 46% in comparison to the females at 25% are aware of the alcohol content. Moreover, the younger the age, the lower the awareness of alcohol content, and a higher percentage of upcountry respondents compared to Bangkok respondents claim to be aware of the alcohol content level. Among the respondents who claim to be aware of the alcohol content of the alcohol drinks they consume, 44% are regular whiskey drinkers, 40% are beer drinkers, 22% are white alcohol drinkers, 4% are brandy drinkers and 3% are RTD drinkers.
For alcohol advertising, 58% of the total respondents claim that they have seen alcohol beverage advertising in the past three months while the remaining 42% of the respondents state that they have not seen alcohol drinks/beverage advertising in the past three months. As for the total regular alcohol drinkers, 60% versus a lower 54% of the non-drinkers claim to have seen alcohol beverage advertising in the past three months. Most of the recall is in terms of ad image and logo recall among both groups. But there is little recall of advertising in terms of advertising content/message or branding. In terms of the impact of alcohol advertising on drinking behavior, 92% of the respondents believe that advertising does not have any effect on their drinking behavior. Of the total regular drinkers, only 9% want to drink more as a result of alcohol beverage advertising as opposed to a lower 2% of the non-drinkers who state that advertising encourages more drinking.
For the overall awareness of alcohol-related laws/regulations, the survey findings reveal good understanding of alcohol-related laws/regulations among most respondents. Of the total number of regular drinkers, 78% claim that they are aware of alcohol-related laws/regulations, with a higher percentage of male respondents claiming awareness compared to female respondents at 80% to 72% respectively. In addition, the higher the educational level of the respondents, the higher the claimed percentage awareness. As for awareness levels of alcohol-related laws and regulations, the respondents claim to be most aware of those focused on age restrictions at 32%, the penalties related to alcohol at 19% and the restricted ages/places for alcohol consumption at 8%. The main sources of their awareness of these laws/regulations are television at 91%, posters in various places at 25%, radio at 11% and newspapers at 10% among others.
The respondents expect major companies and alcohol firms to demonstrate greater social responsibility by providing donations to and establishing funds for the needy, orphans, disabled, the elderly and hospital patients, building sports clubs, playgrounds, schools, child care centers and by providing employment for the poor, disabled, and unemployed among others.
“The level of corporate social expectations that most respondents believe apply to large companies is similar to that given to major alcohol manufacturers or distributors with an exception being that the alcohol companies manage preventive campaigns and activities, and play more of a active role in educating the pubic about alcohol and alcohol content contained in the alcohol drinks, launching responsible drinking programs, supporting government regulations on alcohol and promoting programs to discourage children from drinking. It is clear that Corporate Social Responsibility is now a major issue among consumers, and is seen as an important and necessary contributor to corporate operations in Thailand. Running a business ethically and contributing to economic development while improving the quality of life of the employees, families, communities and society is a key indicator of a corporation with high social responsibility.” concluded Mrs. Daranee.
For further information, please contact:
MarketWise Limited
Ratchada Athakhan
Tel. 0-2259-0290-4 # 121
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