Pacific People Highest Non-Drinkers in New Zealand

Pacific People Highest Non-Drinkers in New Zealand

Pacific people are less likely to drink at all but when they do drink, they drink heavily, according to research released by the Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) today.

BRC Marketing and Social Research’s The Way We Drink: A Profile Of Drinking Culture In New Zealand shows that Pacific people are:

more likely to be non-drinkers – 46 percent of Pacific people compared with 19 percent of all New Zealand adults

less likely to have been early starters – 32 percent of Pacific people did not start drinking more than the occasional sip until they were 20 years compared with 28 percent of all adult New Zealanders

less likely to be regular drinkers – 33 percent of Pacific people drink at least once a week compared with 56 percent of all adult New Zealanders

more likely to have drunk more than 10 glasses on the last drinking occasion – 22 percent of Pacific people compared with eight percent of all adult New Zealanders.

On the basis of their beliefs, attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol, New Zealand’s adult Pacific population (18+ years) can be divided into people who:

don’t drink at all – “non-drinkers” (46 percent of Pacific adults compared with 19 percent of all New Zealand adults)

are aware of how much they are drinking – “conscious moderators” (14 percent of Pacific adults compared with 29 percent of all New Zealand adults)

are unable to drink as much as they would like to for a variety of reasons – “constrained binge drinkers” (10 percent of Pacific adults compared with 23 percent of New Zealand adults)

have no restrictions on their drinking – “uninhibited binge drinkers” (31 percent of Pacific adults compared with 29 percent of New Zealand adults).

“Pacific people tend to have extreme drinking patterns and ALAC is committed to working with Pacific communities to support them to work with their families to reduce harm,” says ALAC Chief Executive,
Dr Mike MacAvoy.

Pacific people report that they limit the amount of alcohol they drink because of religious beliefs or commitments. This confirms previous ALAC research into Pacific people’s drinking habits.

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