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.