1 in 3 Americans binge drink during the coronavirus pandemic, Newsweek says study shows
A new study shows that people who drink alcohol at home tend to drink more during the coronavirus crisis. Newsweek mentions that “1 in 3 Americans said they had consumed alcohol at harmful “binge drinking” levels during the coronavirus pandemic,” but cautions that the data was self-reported.
1 in 3?
Self-report data means that the researchers asked participants, for example, “how many glasses of alcohol do you drink per week?” without checking whether the answer is correct. Self-report data is common in scientific research as it is merely undoable to verify all study data. Checking the data is time-consuming and expensive and would be too much of a hassle for the participants.
The problem with self-report data is that people may under-report or over-report how much alcohol they consume. When some people accidentally report more glasses than they actually drink and others less, then the misreporting is random. In that case, the estimate of 1 in 3 may still be correct. When heavy drinkers report fewer glasses and young people report more, then the heavy drinkers’ percentage may be inaccurate.
Fortunately, researchers know from past research who will likely under- or over-report alcohol use. They can use this knowledge to…
