Alcohol Consumption and Membership in Greek Social Fraternities
Abstract
This study examined variations in five dimensions of reported drinking patterns and attitudes among college students and their friends. The five dimensions included frequency of drinking, permissive nature of attitudes about drinking, motivations for drinking, risk behaviors associated with drinking, and friends' attitudes toward drinking. The primary independent variable was Greek membership. Secondary independent variables were race and sex. The only substantial difference between Greeks and non- Greeks was in the permissive nature of attitudes about drinking. There were more differences with regard to race and sex. White and African-American students were different in all areas examined. Whites were more likely to drink, they drank more frequently, and they reported more permissive attitudes about drinking than African-Americans. Whites also reported more motivations for drinking, more risk behaviors associated with drinking, and more permissive attitudes among their friends (p < .001). There was no substantial difference in the frequency of drinking between White Greeks and White non-Greeks. Men drank more frequently than women and reported more permissive attitudes. Men also reported more motivations for drinking and more risk behaviors associated with drinking.
