If I sleep
better on
medication it
is my choice.
About the campaign
we like to help you shape those decision based on
actual numbers instead of a clouded perceived
truth.
This campaign revolves around the believes that interpersonal influences shape our own behavior. We call this the Social Norms Theory, or: Social Norms Approach (SNA).
Throughout your lifetime, or maybe looking back at certain situations, you have probably noticed some influences. During your pre-teen years, you were likely influenced by your parents and friends, during your teenage years it were your friends and idols and now it’s probably your friends, neighbors, colleagues and maybe your children even.
Mirror mirror
On the wall
Measuring up to others is very human. We have a tendency to mirror our own views, beliefs and behavior to others in our social circle. It provides us with guidance, and creates a sense of safety and conformity. Granted, it can be very useful!
If, however, this mirror is misshaped, the image we believe to be true gets skewed. And that is often the case when it comes to substance use.
We downplay the severity of our own use as we believe others behave in a similar matter. Especially when addictive substances interfere. This creates a situation where, we perceive others as being just as (un)healthy as ourselves in order to justify our own unhealthy behavior.
The Research
In our campaign we use statistics derived from the Euroregional Health Survey.
This online survey was conducted from September 2019 to Januari 2020 and was presented to citizens, aged 55+ years old, living in The Netherlands (Zuid Limburg), Belgium (Provincie Limburg, Ostbelgien and Liège) and Germany (Aachen, Euskirchen, Heinsburg and Bitburg-Prüm). To ensure safety in answering questions regarding substance use, respondents remained anonymous throughout the survey.
We asked these respondents to give us an indication of their substance use and also asked how they felt other people their age would score on these same questions.
Interestingly, the SNA appeared to be applicable in nearly all proposed situations. We saw clearly how we tend to downplay healthy behavior of others while overestimating unhealthy behavior of others.
Cooperation
Of course, with a widely international research like this, we were dependent on trusted partners in all countries. That’s why we like to recognize this fruitful cooperation and thank our partners in full.
Click on the map of your location to view the full list of our partners
Cooperation
VNN - Zuid Limburg
VNN - Zuid Limburg
VNN - Zuid Limburg