Can Alcohol Expectancies and Attributions Explain Western Europe's North–South Gradient in Alcohol's Role in Violence?

Abstract

Recent time-series analyses provide further support to the idea of a north–south gradient in Western Europe in alcohol's role in homicide. Differences in drunken comportment have long been hypothesized as part of the explanation. Five items about expectations about alcohol's role in violence, and the potential excuse-value of intoxication, were asked of 1,000 adults in an RDD survey in each of six countries: Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. The results were not in the expected direction. Finnish respondents were more likely than others to value not showing any effects after drinking. Italian, French and British respondents were the most likely to believe that getting drunk leads to violence. Italian, German and British respondents were most likely to believe that friends should forgive and forget after drunken anger, and Italians and British were the most likely to excuse behavior because of drunkenness. The results are discussed, and the interplay of the items, and within-population variations in responses to them, are explored comparatively in the six national samples.