Authors

• Österberg, Esa (National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES))

Keywords

alcohol policy, drinking behaviour, retail outlets, underage drinking

Abstract

The survey studied opinions on alcohol control policies in Finland and Finnish drinking habits. Drinking habits were charted by asking what the respondents generally drank with meals and how often they drank beer or wine with meals. A number of questions covered how often, how much and what kind of alcohol the respondents drank in general. One question pertained to what percentage of the alcohol consumed originated from somewhere else than the state-owned monopoly liquor store Alko, restaurants or groceries/supermarkets (for example, home-made, privately imported from abroad or bought illegally).

Views were probed on alcohol control measures imposed and which retail outlets people should be able to buy beer, wine or spirits from. The respondents were also asked whether they supported or objected to the proposal to allow grocery stores to sell wine.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, basic education, vocational education, economic activity and occupational status, employment status, type of municipality, province of residence, annual gross income of the household, number and age of household members, household composition, economic activity and occupational status of household head, and R's primary and secondary choice of political party if the parliamentary elections were held at that time, and choice of party in the 1995 parliamentary elections.