A large majority of New Zealand parents opposed tolerant or lenient statements concerning supply and promotion of alcohol to teenagers, and endorsed restrictive statements. Eighty-one percent disagreed that it was okay for parents to give their teenager one or two drinks to take to an unsupervised party and 59 percent agreed that no one should supply alcohol to someone who is underage. Recent suppliers commonly said they would only supply if there was suitable adult supervision at the drinking location, and many stipulated that the supervisor had to be the teenager’s parent. In addition, many said they would only supply alcohol at home with a meal, or for a special celebration. Views on when people should start drinking were more varied: with a modal response of 18 and large proportions of respondents saying 16 or 20. Inappropriate supply of alcohol by parents was often cited as a cause of teenage hazardous drinking. This study investigated parental attitudes regarding supply of alcohol to minors in a country which recently increased alcohol availability and where drinking per se was not prohibited at any age. A postal survey of 748 parents of 13 to 17 year-olds, with an 80 percent response, in 3 New Zealand communities was conducted. References