Alcohol Policy UK

An analysis of Twitter reactions to the revised guidelines: useful insights?

A new study exploring Twitter reactions to the revised recommended drinking guidelines announced in 2016 has been published in the BMJ. The responses though may be seen to reflect previous indications of the public's response, generally showing a mixture of reactions including a significant sense of 'disagreement'.

As such, the findings may be more of interest in considering the value of Twitter as a potential barometer of public mood, and possible policy and intervention responses. Twitter, a 'microblogging' site which notably restricts 'tweets' to no more than 140 characters, reports having over 313 million monthly active users, including the some of highest profile politicians, celebrities and even... academics. As some Twitter users noted though, the extent to which the sample reflects the general public's views, or to what extent certain types of drinkers may have responded, is unknown.

Alcohol and the economy: IAS report examines impact of drinking & industry

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) have released a new report examining key issues related to alcohol and the economy, a central topic for alcohol policy debates relating to consumption and pricing measures.

The report states that reducing population alcohol consumption does not necessarily mean a negative impact on the UK economy, but could in fact potentially boost it owing to effects such as increased productivity.

Download: Splitting the bill: Alcohol's impact on the economy [pdf] or the see the summary report here [pdf].