What measurements are used to determine if a social norms intervention has been successful?
Most colleges evaluating their social norms efforts are using self-report survey data to pre-test and post-test representative cross section samples. Some campuses also track selected markers (emergency room admits, local alcohol sales receipts, arrest records, beer cans in trash, etc.) to augment the survey data. A few universities have gathered data at a comparable school that is not using the social norms approach. This “control” site provides greater confidence that the social norms intervention caused the positive impact.
