In 2018/19, 25% of adults who consumed alcohol in the last year drank at hazardous levels. Experiencing harm from drinking alcohol is commonplace in New Zealand. Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of health loss2 in people aged 15 to 49 years. In addition to health impacts, alcohol-related harms include injuries and deaths from road accidents and experiencing crimes like robbery, damage to property, and family violence incidents.

In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the SAFER initiative (SAFER) to help combat the effects of alcohol-related harm, by focusing on the most cost-effective policy interventions (‘best buys’). The best buys focus on drink driving; advertising, sponsorship and promotion; screening; availability; and pricing.

This report presents the attitudes of New Zealand adults to the SAFER policy interventions from the 2019/20 Alcohol Use in New Zealand Survey (AUiNZ).