Liability of commercial and social hosts for alcohol-related injuries - A national survey of accountability norms and judgments

Legal standards for liability of commercial sellers and social providers of alcoholic beverages are affected by social norms concerning accountability and responsibility. Using a nationwide probability sample telephone survey of 7,021 U.S. residents, we conducted a randomized experiment in which eac h subject was asked to respond to multiple vignettes. The vignettes told st ories of drinking situations, systematically varying dimensions concerning age of drinker, commercial versus social settings, amount of alcohol consum ed, history of previous behavior, and seriousness of damage or injury follo wing drinking. Analyses involved linear mixed (i.e., random effects) model regressions, using responses to vignettes as the outcome variable, controll ing for a series of sociodemographic, behavioral, and attitudinal measures. Results showed that age of drinker (young), setting (bar), and previous be havior (history of irresponsibility) were most strongly associated with har sher judgments of civil liability. Citizens' multiple standards for assigni ng legal liability and implications for public policy are discussed.