Over the past decade, zero-alcohol drinks have gone from a relatively niche product to a staple of our supermarket aisles , bottle stores and pubs.
Authors
- Ann-Marie Kennedy
Professor or Marketing, Business School, University of Canterbury
- Jennifer Smith
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of Canterbury
- Johnpaul Smith
Lecturer of Marketing, Swinburne University of Technology
- Rachael Dixon
Senior Lecturer, University of Canterbury
Their rising appeal in New Zealand and around the world isn’t difficult to understand. Patrons can enjoy the closest thing there is to beer or wine, but without the alcohol, they don’t need to worry about taxi fares or hangovers.
But how do young people view these products? Might they offer an alternative for teenagers as they begin navigating social situations where their peers are drinking?
Or, more concerningly, could products designed to look, taste and feel like alcoholic drinks simply reinforce long-standing problems with New Zealand’s drinking culture?
Our recently published research suggests these booze-free options can indeed fulfil some of the social and symbolic roles young people associate with drinking.
But there are important limits to what they can replace.
Why do young people drink?
The health harms of alcohol are well established – and they rarely stop with the drinker, extending outward to affect partners , families and entire communities.
Globally, this harm contributes to an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year and is linked to more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health conditions.
In New Zealand, its economic toll – through lost productivity, road crashes, healthcare and other impacts – has been calculated at more than NZ$9 billion a year.
The risks of drinking from a young age are known too. Around half of young New Zealanders drink alcohol, with 6.3% drinking at hazardous levels . This early exposure can increase the risk of harmful drinking and dependence later in life.
But it’s also important to remember that young people drink for many reasons other than just getting drunk . It can be part of bonding with others, fitting in or expressing identity. They can drink to celebrate, to feel better or to regulate emotions.
So, if zero-alcohol drinks are going to provide an alternative, can they fulfil these emotional, social, and symbolic roles too?
There are also concerns they could have the opposite effect, potentially creating a gateway to alcohol consumption later on. With relatively little known about how young people perceive these products, we sought to gain a clearer picture.
In our research, we spoke to 52 Year 11 students aged 15 and 16 from three secondary schools across New Zealand.
Using creative, art-based techniques, they shared with us what alcohol and zero-alcohol drinks symbolised for them and whether they thought zero-alcohol could replace alcohol for young people.
We found zero-alcohol drinks could be used to fit in socially. They could also communicate something positive about the person drinking them, such as being responsible for themselves and others.
However, even at this young age, participants recognised that zero-alcohol could not provide the same emotional crutch as alcohol.
For instance, they recognised that zero-alcohol couldn’t “make boring things fun”. In situations they considered inherently fun – going to the beach, weddings or concerts – they could imagine zero-alcohol replacing alcohol.
But in “boring” settings, or situations where they felt socially anxious, they saw regular alcohol as serving a different purpose.
Changing what drinking represents
Our findings suggest several ways health promotion, regulation and education could potentially reduce alcohol harm among young people.
Health promotion could pair zero-alcohol drinks with fun settings normally associated with alcohol, encouraging the idea that there are alternatives to drinking at these occasions.
Restricting alcohol advertising and product placement that link alcohol with fun, could also help reduce that association between alcohol, socialising, and having fun.
As well, young people could be given more education around social skills, coping mechanisms, and emotion regulation, alongside alternative messages to those presenting alcohol consumption as normal.
Ultimately, the symbolic meaning young people attach to zero-alcohol drinks may determine how useful they are as an alternative.
We found evidence that zero-alcohol can be used to fit it, but if it is seen as less valuable than full-strength alcohol, and doesn’t provide the same social status or acceptance, young people may continue to choose alcohol.
But if zero-alcohol gains equal value as a way of socialising and fitting in, it could challenge the idea that drinking alcohol is necessary to be accepted.
