The Effects of Fear Appeal and Communication upon Attitudes toward Alcohol Consumption

The purpose of the study was to clarify principles of communication pertinent to alcohol and drug educational programs. Specifically the relationship between two independent variables, the fear appeal of the message and the character of the communicator, and the attitudes, behavior and information retention of seventh and eighth grade pupils with respect to the consumption of alcoholic beverages was explored. A number of significant findings are reported and their implications for alcohol education programs are discussed.