Survey Overview

Mode: Telephone (CATI)

Wave	Survey dates	Survey sample
1	Sept 2012 – Mar 2013	General population: 1728
2	Oct 2013 – Mar 2014	General population: 1694

Alcohol Policy Currently In Place

• Excise tax on beer, wine, cider, and spirits based on volume and/or content depending on beverage and strength*
• Legal on-trade and off-trade minimum purchase age of 18
• Beer, wine and cider can be consumed at age 16 at on-trade premises if purchased and accompanied by an adult (aged 18 or over) during a table meal
• Licensing system restricting location and hours of trade
• Illegal to sell to intoxicated persons (little enforcement)
• Restriction of sale to specified licensable activities
• Restriction of sale of alcohol at certain petrol stations (e.g. those without substantial grocery sales)
• Legal blood alcohol concentration maximum while driving a vehicle of 0.08%
• Advertising permitted but content of adverts is subject to a voluntary self-regulatory code
• Legal minimum drinking age at home with parental permission and supervision of 5
• Product placement laws are complex.       Broadly, paid product placement is not permitted although unpaid placement probably occurs and laws vary depending on when programmes are made (and presumably laws vary for imported programmes and films)
• Ban on the sale of alcohol below the cost of duty plus VAT
• Public health responsibility deal pledges (voluntary partnership agreement between government, alcohol producers and alcohol retailers) such as removing 1 billion units of alcohol sold annually (through reduction of alcohol strength of existing products and promoting new low strength products) and ensuring over 80% alcohol products have labels with clear unit content, NHS guidelines and warnings about drinking when pregnant

* Spirits and wine (over 22% ABV) tax is based on ethanol content. Beer is taxed by ethanol content but has different rates for low, medium and high strength. Wine (below 22%), cider and perry are taxed by product volume with different rates for different strengths and whether still or sparkling. See HMRC.

England Contact Info

• Professor Petra Meier, University of Sheffield [link], p.meier@sheffield.ac.uk
• Dr John Holmes, University of Sheffield [link], john.holmes@sheffield.ac.uk

Partner Institutions