Healthy Choices
How a social norms campaign at Carl Sandburg Middle School supports students in making healthy choices about substance use.
Social norms shape our behavior every day. We instinctively queue up at a coffee shop, hold the door for someone behind us, and say “please” and “thank you.” We do these things because they’re the norm.
The same is true when it comes to social norms around substance use.
Both young people and adults consistently overestimate how many teens are misusing substances. When students believe “everyone is doing it,” they may feel pressure to fit in, even when that perception isn’t accurate.
The real norm is most young people make healthy choices and don’t use substances. In fact, more than 90% of Bucks County youth report not using tobacco, alcohol, marijuana or pills.
When young people learn the truth – that most of their peers are making healthy choices – their perceptions begin to shift. And when perceptions shift, behaviors often follow.
That’s why awareness of social norms is such a powerful tool. Research shows that our beliefs about what our peers are doing are among the strongest predictors of how we behave.
A Social Norms Campaign
Neshaminy Coalition for Youth is partnering with Neshaminy School District to conduct a social norms campaign that supports students in making healthy choices regarding substance use.
The campaign flips the narrative by sharing real data from Carl Sandburg Middle School: 94.6% of our students report not engaging in vaping.
This powerful statistic reinforces positive behaviors among students who have not begun experimenting, while also helping to influence students who may have already started. By highlighting what is true – not what is assumed – the campaign strengthens a culture of healthy decision-making.
Watch this short video to learn how the social norms approach works and why it is so effective:
The Health and Physical Education Department at Carl Sandburg Middle School addresses the harmful effects of substance use and misuse, providing information about tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol – early initiation substances. The goal of this curriculum is to ensure healthy development from adolescence to adulthood.
A recent survey of Sandburg MS students showed:
Peer disapproval – 95.4% disapprove of their peers vaping.
Intervention – 92.9% say they would want their friends to try to discourage them if they were about to vape or use a nicotine product.
Not cool – To the question: What are the chances you would be seen as cool if you vaped or used a nicotine product? 76.6% said “No chance or very little chance”; 14% reported “little chance.”
Our Goals
Through this campaign, we aim to:
You Have a Part to Play
Whether you’re a teacher, educator, parent, or student, you play an important role in reinforcing positive norms. We’ve gathering resources to help you support the campaign and encourage healthy choices both in school and at home.
These resources are coming soon!
Together, we can ensure students understand the true social norms: most of their peers are already making healthy decisions.
