College students’ perceptions of campus norms about alcohol use and the
impact of these perceptions on personal alcohol abuse are examined with data
(N= 17, 592) from a nationwide survey of students at 140 colleges and
universities. The student’s particular
collegiate environment accounted for only a small portion of the overall
variation in perception of campus drinking norms. Within each campus context perceptions varied
widely. More permissive perceptions of
the norm were significantly associated with greater personal alcohol abuse even
after controlling for personal attitudes, thus suggesting that perceiving a permissive environment encourages students
to drink more heavily than they would otherwise based on their personal
attitudes. The detrimental impact of
perceiving more permissive drinking norms is greatest for students whose own
attitudes about drinking are already permissive.