Welcome to the
Social Norms National Research & Resources Web Site
The Social
Norms Approach
The social norms approach to preventing problem behavior and promoting
and reinforcing positive behavior, put simply, is to dispel the myths
about the problem being the norm among peers. It starts with gathering
credible data from a population and identifying the actual norms regarding
the attitudes and behavior of concern. Then a social norms intervention
intensively communicates the truth through media campaigns, interactive
programs, personalized normative feedback, and other educational venues.
Evidence has shown youth and adults responding to these initiatives
with more realistic perceptions of positive peer norms lead to decreases
in problem behavior and increases in positive behavior in the population.
This site is one
of several interrelated projects promoting social norms education and
research:
- www.AlcoholEducationProject.org
-- a broad collection of education and research initiatives designed
to better inform students and college personnel about alcohol and
other drugs and related social norms and address problems of abuse.
- www.YouthHealthSafety.org
-- project initiatives promoting health and well being among youthful
populations
- www.SocialNormSurveys.org
-- online survey tools for implementing and assessing social norms
interventions
- www.SocialNormsResources.org
-- (this site) a collection of research and resources to support the
application of the social norms approach in a variety of settings.
These sites are
created and maintained by faculty at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
in collaboration with other professionals nationwide.
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