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Young Adults and Alcohol: An Explorative Audience Segmentation Analysis

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Abstract

So far, audience segmentation with respect to alcohol use by young adults has been carried out mainly on the basis of behaviour. In this study we examined the possibility of segmenting young adults (18–24 years) according to their values and attitudes towards alcohol. A random sample of young adults was drawn from the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP) of 21 local authorities in the province of North-Brabant in the Netherlands. By means of an online questionnaire, data were gathered on socio-demographic characteristics, alcohol consumption, and values and attitudes towards alcohol. Factor analysis using principal components with oblimin rotation was conducted to identify alcohol-related values and attitudes. A latent class analysis, using factors found in the factor analysis, was used to identify different segments. We were able to distinguish a total of five segments on the basis of four attitude factors. Moreover, we found that the five segments differed in drinking behaviour independently of socio-demographic variables. Our investigation was a first step in the search for means to segment young adults with respect to alcohol. Further research is required to better understand these results for alcohol policy and practice in more concrete terms.

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Acknowledgments

This study is funded by a grant from ZonMw, the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (204001005).

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Correspondence to Jolanda Mathijssen .

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Mathijssen, J., Kuiper, S., Janssen, M. (2017). Young Adults and Alcohol: An Explorative Audience Segmentation Analysis. In: Dietrich, T., Rundle-Thiele, S., Kubacki, K. (eds) Segmentation in Social Marketing. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1835-0_11

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