Family and peer communication and wine consumption among young adults: examining the role of responsible drinking practices

Purpose: This study aims to examine within-family and peer communication (type and frequency) and subsequent wine consumption of young adults. Specifically, this research investigates whether the distinct types of technical, prohibition and moderation-based communication affect wine knowledge, responsible drinking practices, and ultimately, wine consumption. Design/methodology/approach: The authors adopted an econometric approach based on a cross-sectional study with data collected from a large sample of 1,466 students in France. Findings: The authors show that wine technical-based messages from parents help young adults acquire knowledge about wine, which in turn increases consumption. Also, moderation-based messages make young adults both, more knowledgeable about wine and, as expected, more responsible in terms of drinking practices, subsequently limiting their consumption. Finally, prohibition-based messages marginally decrease wine knowledge and have no impact on responsible drinking practices. Social implications: This article provides relevant recommendations for public policymakers and brands, who should target parents and peers as part of their responsible drinking communication or advertising campaigns. Originality/value: To fill a gap in the literature on young consumer behavior and food marketing, this research primarily investigates the relationship between family (and peer) communication and young adults' wine consumption, particularly whether and how, which type(s) of parental communication influences young adults' wine knowledge and adoption of responsible drinking practices.