Attitudes Towards Drinking in the Presence of Small Children: Do the Associations With Parenthood and Own Risky Drinking Change When Per Capita Alcohol Consumption Declines?

INTRODUCTION

This study explores changes in Finnish adults' attitudes towards alcohol use and getting drunk in the presence of small children and the changes in these attitudes in a period of declining alcohol consumption in Finland. It also examines whether these attitudes differ by respondents' parental status and by their own risky drinking.

METHODS

Data were drawn from nationally representative cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2008 (N = 2500), 2016 (N = 1857) and 2023 (N = 2133) in mainland Finland. Poisson regression assessed the effects of time, parenthood and AUDIT scores on two attitude statements. Interactions with survey year were tested to explore changes over time.

RESULTS

The proportion of respondents who agreed that drinking in the presence of small children is unacceptable increased from 73% in 2008 to 78% in 2023. Acceptance of getting drunk around children declined from 37% to 27% (RR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.86-0.92). Parents were more likely to accept any alcohol use (RR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.13) and less likely to accept getting drunk (RR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.99). Higher AUDIT scores were linked to more permissive attitudes towards both drinking and getting drunk in the presence of children; these associations remained stable over time.

DISCUSSION AND

CONCLUSIONS

Parents were more permissive towards any alcohol use but less accepting of getting drunk in the presence of small children, whereas respondents with riskier drinking consistently expressed more permissive attitudes. Finnish adults' growing disapproval of drunkenness around small children over 2008-2023 likely reflects broader shifts in social norms that have accompanied declining alcohol use.