Undergraduate student and faculty perceptions of problem drinking

Using a questionnaire, 487 students and 155 faculty members at two midwestern undergraduate colleges were surveyed to learn the factors that affect perceptions of problem drinking. Multivariate analysis of variance showed perceptions to be significantly related to respondents' drinking habits. Multivariate analyses of covariance, with respondents' drinking as the covariate, revealed significant differences in perceptions between faculty and students and between male and female students. The gender of the questionnaire's target individual also affected perceptions. The results replicate and expand on findings explicating the role of demographic and cognitive factors in the perception of drinking.