Four Nations: the differences and similarities in alcohol policies and programmes across the four jurisdictions of the UK

This report by Niamh Fitzgerald and Colin Angus investigates the extent to which alcohol policies and programmes across the UK are based on evidence.

The divergence of alcohol policy in the four nations of the UK since devolution has allowed us to compare and contrast how evidence is used in alcohol policy and the extent to which current policies across the UK are supported by scientific evidence. In this new report, we discovered substantial differences between the 4 nations in the way that alcohol problems are framed and policies implemented. These differences appear to reflect the level of activity within each country, with alcohol framed as a minority issue affecting only a small group of dependent drinkers at the UK level, while the more active devolved administrations tend to view or portray alcohol problems as a whole population issue.