Does price affect consumer behaviour? - Original Post March 15th 2010

There’s been a lot in the media recently about Scotland’s relationship with alcohol, along with some proposals to try to deal with some of the problems that come out of it. I’ve even received a leaflet through my door from one of our local MPs asking for my views on this single issue in Aberdeen.

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Minimum pricing is one idea being touted – some support it although some argue it will hit everyone in the pocket and have no effect, while others have claimed (or not), that there could be a serious effect on one of our most famous industries.

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But if alcohol abuse is costing every adult in the country £900, then what would be the problem with a little price hike? You’d have to drink a lot of the cheaper types to be worse off – and if you fall into that category then maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

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Alcohol has never before been so affordable or available, nor conspicuous consumption so acceptable.

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While minimum pricing is likely to have some benefit to some people, I suspect that there would also be those likely to be more harmed by it. Low income families with one or more parents seriously addicted to alcohol would have even less left over to buy other less necessary items. Such as food for their children.

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There are thought to be 65,000 children in Scotland affected by parental alcohol abuse – a number so inconceivably large it makes me think there must be a mistake. A chat over lunch to one of my colleagues in 4Change, however shows just how wrong I seem to be. Similarly, it’s not a problem exclusive to those at the poorer end of the social scale.

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Are there alternatives?

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Imagine the entire month of January being designated a “dry month” during which Scots were discouraged from drinking alcohol? Or turning up to T in the Park and finding out that alcohol was banned from the festival site?

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These are just some of the ideas floated by the Scottish Youth Commission on Alcohol, made up of 14 to 22 year olds.

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There are organisations out there helping to deal with the problems that arise from our nation’s pastime, but do we need to do something else to change the way we treat alcohol in the first place. In the Herald article, “Eddie” laments “You can find stuff on for seven to 12-year-olds but nothing for teenagers, and they’re the ones who are going to be out drinking and they’re the ones who get into fights on the street.”

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As I think back to the weekend and how much alcohol I contentedly consumed, I wonder, do we also need to “find stuff” for those of us who are older not wiser to do on our weekends than be out drinking?

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