Nationwide Insurance Poll Indicates American Public Supports 21 Drinking
August 21st, 2008
Nationwide Insurance released a survey this week containing some of the most recent public opinion on the 21 drinking age topic. This Nationwide Insurance Survey on Underage Drinking was done in April 2008 by Opinion Research Corporation, an independent third party.
Among the key findings:
- Americans continue to overwhelmingly reject an ongoing push to lower the legal drinking age from 21 to 18.
- 72 percent of adults think lowering the drinking age will make alcohol more accessible to kids.
- Nearly half believe it would increase binge drinking among teens.
- More than half even say they are less likely to vote for a state representative who supports lowering the legal limit.
We do have a critical problem on college campuses that requires discussion of solutions that will have an impact. Over 5,000 teens die every year from alcohol-related events, and many more are injured.
Lowering the drinking age will solve the underage drinking problem but will leave colleges with an even greater drinking problem to deal with. On top of that, lowering the drinking age, as the American public points out in the Nationwide poll, will increase binge drinking and the alcohol abuse problems that we have with our children below the age of 18. We can look at Europe and the alcohol abuse and dependence problems they are having with 14, 15 and 16 year old kids with their lower drinking age. Europe does not have as many drunk driving issues with teens because they get their driving licenses later than our teens and have better mass transit systems but they are struggling with teen binge drinking and alcohol abuse.
Nationwide Insurance supports discussions of real solutions that can have an impact on alcohol abuse in this country.
Editor’s note: We invite readers to also consider the viewpoints of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Amethyst Initiative, two other organizations involved in this debate that have posted on the Congress Blog yesterday and today.
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