Interpretations of Survey Questions on One's Partner's Alcohol Consumption

Abstract

This article analyzes and discusses how survey questions about partners' alcohol use, about attempts to control it, and about its problematic nature, used in the 2000 Finnish Drinking Habits Survey, are understood and interpreted. The majority of the 30 respondents interviewed for this research understood the concepts of alcohol and drinking as intended, but some respondents did not define alcohol use in the way alcohol researchers do. Drinking that was for purposes other than drunkenness was not considered alcohol drinking. This confusion has important implications for alcohol survey research. Also, there was wide variation in the interpretations of attempts to control partners' drinking, and especially in interpretations of drinking-related problems. The different interpretations of drinking and problems related to it indicate the importance of defining the intended meaning of the questions in the interview situation. Identifying possible interpretations is useful in formulating survey questions related to these issues and also in planning research designs in general.