Masters Thesis Abstract: Phillipa Glassey
Drink-driving in Christchurch: Exploring the links between gender, age and class in convicted and non convicted drink-drivers.
However you look at it, alcohol soaks deep into the fabric of New Zealand. It fuels our social life, has moulded our culture, and shaped our politics, even our national identity. Debates about alcohol are ongoing in all facets of life, from the public to the private. This research looks at one of the alcohol related debates of today, drink-driving. It examines how social identity constructs such as gender, age and class influence drink-driving behaviour in Christchurch.
This research presents material from discussions and interviews with male and female Christchurch drinkers on their personal experiences with alcohol and drink-driving. This aspect of the research examines the drinking culture of Christchurch. Secondly, participant observations will be made on the Police Stop Bus and Mobile Patrol Unit to see who is being stopped and convicted of drink-driving offences. Finally, the electronic media of radio and television and the print media comprising of newspapers and magazines will be analysed for drink-driving issues to gain some contextual background on drink-driving issues. Therefore, this research is a combination of participant observations, media content analysis and personal experiences of alcohol and drink-driving.
The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of who is drinking in Christchurch, who is being convicted of drink-driving offences, and the effects that these drink-driving offences can have on a person. This is to gain an overall understanding of how social identity constructs such as gender, age and class influence drink-driving behaviour in Christchurch.