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3/4 Australians think needs to be done to reduce alcohol harms

Xinhua, April 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

Three-quarters of Australians said the nation has a problem with alcohol abuse and many are eager for the industry to be more accountable, a poll on Thursday showed.

For the first time in its six-year history, the poll, conducted by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), found a small shift in public perceptions in support of government campaigns.

The majority of Australians (73 percent) still believe more needs to be done to reduce the harms from alcohol.

Respondents that believe the nation's alcohol problems may get better in the near future rose to 29 percent, up from 24 percent last year.

FARE CEO Michael Thorn said in the past year governments had acted on community concern about alcohol-related violence with tougher sentencing and tighter restrictions on the sale of alcohol trading hours.

"The message from the 2015 alcohol poll is clear: Australians want to see change and they will respond positively to governments that take decisive action. Alcohol has long been seen as an issue that's too hard to touch -- but the poll shows this couldn't be further from the truth," Thorn said in a statement.

"By introducing a range of measures including trading hour restrictions, New South Wales has led the way in restoring community confidence," Thorn said in a statement.

Australians are also concerned about the quantity and content of alcohol advertising the industry is producing. Around 73 percent had recently seen an alcohol advertising and the majority (69 percent) thought it was inappropriate, most commonly because the advertisement was aimed at young people or promoted drinking as key to success.

One-half of respondents said alcohol advertising should be removed from sporting grounds, while 60 percent said it should be banned from bus, train and tram stops.

More than nine in 10 Australians believe they are "responsible drinkers" but a third said they drink to get drunk.

Four in five Australians consume alcohol, with figures similar for men and women.

Three in 10 respondents said they have been affected by alcohol- related violence while 22 percent said they have driven after drinking alcohol.

Only 50 percent said they were aware of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. Endi