Are You Aware? campaign is looking to reduce the use of so called 'legal highs' among students at Cardiff University. The media have highlighted cases of youngsters causing themselves serious physical and psychological damage after taking these substances, even dying on occasions. Manufacturers of these substances are able to capitalise on a loop-hole in the law to stay one step ahead of legislation. As more substances become classified, manufacturers are able to replace them with new versions so that the public are continually able to purchase and consume these substances without reprimand or controls. So, therefore, the campaign needs to find out the reasons why youngsters are taking 'legal highs' and find a way of communicating the dangers with the aim of preventing and changing certain behaviours.
We surveyed a large number of students at various locations around the city, and here are some of our initial findings:
:: 35% of Cardiff's 18-21 year old population have taken 'legal highs'
:: 60% say they take them for the 'buzz' without breaking the law
:: 75% say they wouldn't take them if they were illegal
:: 95% think that they are harmless
:: 60% of users don't consider themselves to be recreational drug users
:: 74% of non-users see them as drugs
Using this data, we were able to test certain aspects of the survey to see if there were any significant relationships between data sets. This exercise provided us with the following insights:
:: Students who visited the Student Union more frequently were less likely to take 'legal highs'
:: 'Legal high' consumers did not like being considered/perceived as recreational drug users
:: Increasing costs of alcohol is driving demand for alternatives
:: Increased media coverage is increasing consumption
Given the fact that over 90% of Cardiff University students are regular social network users, we were able to establish a campaign that covered Facebook, Twitter and Blogger. This was then supplemented by a targetted poster and flyer campaign around the city centre designed to increase association between 'legal high' use and recreational drug consumption.
Using this data, we were able to test certain aspects of the survey to see if there were any significant relationships between data sets. This exercise provided us with the following insights:
:: Students who visited the Student Union more frequently were less likely to take 'legal highs'
:: 'Legal high' consumers did not like being considered/perceived as recreational drug users
:: Increasing costs of alcohol is driving demand for alternatives
:: Increased media coverage is increasing consumption
Given the fact that over 90% of Cardiff University students are regular social network users, we were able to establish a campaign that covered Facebook, Twitter and Blogger. This was then supplemented by a targetted poster and flyer campaign around the city centre designed to increase association between 'legal high' use and recreational drug consumption.
