New Survey Finds Americans Like to Show Their True Age--When Having Their ID Checked
May 15, 2007
ST. LOUIS (May 15, 2007) – If given the opportunity, whose ID would American adults most want to check--media powerhouse Oprah Winfrey, Demi Moore’s husband Ashton Kutcher or comedian Joan Rivers? Would adults rather have talk show maven Ellen Degeneres, television’s hottest host Ryan Seacrest or longtime favorite Regis Philbin check their ID? These questions and more are answered in the latest survey assessing how American adults view the effectiveness of ID checking when it comes to preventing underage drinking.
The survey, conducted by The Nielsen Company on behalf of Anheuser-Busch, found broad public support for ID checking. Nearly all American adults (95 percent) believe that having their ID checked may be a little inconvenient, but believe it is worth it to help reduce underage drinking. In fact, 90 percent of respondents actually appreciate having someone check their ID, viewing the procedure as a clear indication that the bar, restaurant or retailer is firmly committed to preventing sales of alcohol to minors. In addition, 81 percent of adults have seen someone get carded while purchasing alcohol, and 98 percent of 21-29 year olds report being carded.
“Checking IDs is one of the keys to keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors. Simply put, if teens can’t get alcohol, they can’t drink it, and the survey reflects that America’s retailers are doing their part, and that American adults fully embrace this concept -- whether they are doing the checking, or being checked,” says John Kaestner, vice president of Consumer Affairs for Anheuser-Busch Cos. “Ensuring that IDs are checked and authentic is especially important during this time of year when teens are celebrating graduation and may attempt to purchase alcohol for the festivities.”
The survey also found that 94 percent of respondents agree that people who sell alcohol should be trained to spot fake IDs. Anheuser-Busch and its 600 wholesalers nationwide provide servers and sellers of alcohol with tools to help them effectively identify patrons of legal purchase age. Since 1990, the company and its wholesalers have provided 63 million wristbands and 1.2 million “We I.D.” cards to servers and sellers of alcohol beverages to help keep these products out of the hands of minors.
These efforts, coupled with strong parental involvement, effective law enforcement and increased awareness about the consequences of illegal underage drinking, are working. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 83 percent of 12-17 year olds do not drink. In addition, the federally funded University of Michigan’s “Monitoring the Future” study found the percentage of high-school seniors who reported having a drink in the last 30 days is at the lowest level since tracking began in 1975, 9 percent lower in 2006 than in 2000 and down 35 percent since 1982.
The lighter side of the survey also reveals:
For a quarter century, Anheuser-Busch and its nationwide network of 600 independent wholesalers have led the alcohol beverage industry in promoting responsibility and respect for the law, investing more than a half-billion dollars in alcohol awareness and education programs and partnerships. In 2007, for the fourth year in a row, the company ranked first in the beverage industry for social responsibility in FORTUNE magazine’s “America’s Most Admired Companies” and “Global Most Admired Companies.” More information about Anheuser-Busch’s responsible drinking programs is available at www.beeresponsible.com. The full survey results are available at www.alcoholstats.com.
May 15, 2007
ST. LOUIS (May 15, 2007) – If given the opportunity, whose ID would American adults most want to check--media powerhouse Oprah Winfrey, Demi Moore’s husband Ashton Kutcher or comedian Joan Rivers? Would adults rather have talk show maven Ellen Degeneres, television’s hottest host Ryan Seacrest or longtime favorite Regis Philbin check their ID? These questions and more are answered in the latest survey assessing how American adults view the effectiveness of ID checking when it comes to preventing underage drinking.
The survey, conducted by The Nielsen Company on behalf of Anheuser-Busch, found broad public support for ID checking. Nearly all American adults (95 percent) believe that having their ID checked may be a little inconvenient, but believe it is worth it to help reduce underage drinking. In fact, 90 percent of respondents actually appreciate having someone check their ID, viewing the procedure as a clear indication that the bar, restaurant or retailer is firmly committed to preventing sales of alcohol to minors. In addition, 81 percent of adults have seen someone get carded while purchasing alcohol, and 98 percent of 21-29 year olds report being carded.
“Checking IDs is one of the keys to keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors. Simply put, if teens can’t get alcohol, they can’t drink it, and the survey reflects that America’s retailers are doing their part, and that American adults fully embrace this concept -- whether they are doing the checking, or being checked,” says John Kaestner, vice president of Consumer Affairs for Anheuser-Busch Cos. “Ensuring that IDs are checked and authentic is especially important during this time of year when teens are celebrating graduation and may attempt to purchase alcohol for the festivities.”
The survey also found that 94 percent of respondents agree that people who sell alcohol should be trained to spot fake IDs. Anheuser-Busch and its 600 wholesalers nationwide provide servers and sellers of alcohol with tools to help them effectively identify patrons of legal purchase age. Since 1990, the company and its wholesalers have provided 63 million wristbands and 1.2 million “We I.D.” cards to servers and sellers of alcohol beverages to help keep these products out of the hands of minors.
These efforts, coupled with strong parental involvement, effective law enforcement and increased awareness about the consequences of illegal underage drinking, are working. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 83 percent of 12-17 year olds do not drink. In addition, the federally funded University of Michigan’s “Monitoring the Future” study found the percentage of high-school seniors who reported having a drink in the last 30 days is at the lowest level since tracking began in 1975, 9 percent lower in 2006 than in 2000 and down 35 percent since 1982.
The lighter side of the survey also reveals:
- Americans would most like to check the ID of Joan Rivers (26 percent) to learn her true age, followed by Oprah Winfrey (23 percent), Simon Cowell (16 percent) and Ashton Kutcher (15 percent).
- Adults would most like to have their ID checked by Ellen Degeneres (32 percent) when purchasing alcohol, followed by Kelly Ripa (24 percent), Tyra Banks (22 percent) and Ann Curry (9 percent).
- Among male celebrities, adults would like Regis Philbin (29 percent) to check their ID when purchasing alcohol, over Conan O’Brien (21 percent), Ryan Seacrest (19 percent) and Al Roker (18 percent).
For a quarter century, Anheuser-Busch and its nationwide network of 600 independent wholesalers have led the alcohol beverage industry in promoting responsibility and respect for the law, investing more than a half-billion dollars in alcohol awareness and education programs and partnerships. In 2007, for the fourth year in a row, the company ranked first in the beverage industry for social responsibility in FORTUNE magazine’s “America’s Most Admired Companies” and “Global Most Admired Companies.” More information about Anheuser-Busch’s responsible drinking programs is available at www.beeresponsible.com. The full survey results are available at www.alcoholstats.com.