Drugs AND Music Festivals

OBJECTIVE


Examine the relationship between drug use among younger generation and music festivals.

Why research drug use in this context?

Drugs can be characterized as "improving one's appreciation for the arts, music, dance, sex, symbol recognition and our sensitivity for nonverbal communications"

(Blum 2014, p.6)

Calafat, Kronegger, Juan, Duch, & Kosir (2011) found that the social networks of young people do influence their involvement of risky behavior, and deviant networks lead to smoking and illegal drug use.

[RAT TEST]
Smith found that the “self-administration behavior of a peer, not merely the presence of a peer, determines whether cocaine self-administration is facilitated or inhibited by social contact”

(Smith 2011 p. 81)

Party Drugs

According to Miller, Johnston, McElwee, and Noble (2007),
“‘party drugs’ refers loosely to those drugs used commonly by attendees at nightclubs and dance music events”.

MDMA is a frequently used drug in environments “rich in audible and visual stimulation”, like music festivals and clubs.

(Feduccia, Devauchelle, 2008)

An estimated 80-95% of rave attendees use ecstasy.

(Feduccia, Devauchelle, 2008)

Users of MDMA experience enhanced accuracy of decoding positive emotions in others.

This “prosocial effect” of MDMA use might be caused by the release of oxytocin, known as the “social hormone”.
(Hysek et al., 2012, pp. 293)

Music Festivals

Live performances are, “the most lucrative source of income. Unencumbered by most “traditional” band equipment, the cost of touring for DJ’s is extremely low.”

(Feinstein , D. & Ramsay, C.)

This year, Coachella grossed $47,313,403 in gross ticket sales.

The attendance rate for the two weekends combined was an estimated 158,317.

(Billboard Boxscore)

Research Questions:

RQ1: Is drug use more prevalent in the younger generation (18-29 years old)?

RQ2: Does the social environment of a music festival affect drug use?

Methods

• Self-Report: SurveyMonkey
• Between the ages of 18-29
• From no particular demographic region
• 140 responses
• 60% male, 40% female participants

We asked participants about their histories/experiences with illicit drug use.

Example:
"Have you ever consumed illegal drugs?"
"If yes, choose from the following."

83.21% of the sample reported yes having consumed illegal substances.

16.79% had not.

If yes, choose from the following.

Likert Scale:
1- Never: 19.71%
2 - Rarely: 24.82%
3 - Socially: 27.01%
4 - Regularly: 16.06%
5- Every day: 12.41%

Average Rating = 2.77

To measure participants’ engagement at music festivals, we asked three nominal scale questions

Have you ever attended a music festival?

If yes, did you consume illegal substances?

If yes, choose from the following

To measure how participants see drugs in the specific social context of music festivals, we asked four questions.

Do you expect to see drugs at a music festival?

Do you think drugs are acceptable at music festivals?

1 - Strongly disagree: 2.27%
2 - Disagree: 7.58%
3 - Neutral: 31.82%
4 - Agree: 37.88%
5 - Strongly Agree: 20.45%

Average Rating - 3.67

Do you feel obligated to be more social at a music festival than you normally are?

1 - Strongly disagree: 3.79%
2 - Disagree: 23.48%
3 - Neutral: 31.82%
4 - Agree: 27.27%
5 - Strongly Agree: 13.64%

Average Rating = 3.23

Does drug use make one more socially engaged?

Implications:

• drug use is prevalent in the younger generation
• music festival attendance is popular among college-aged people
• Drug use at music festivals is an expected occurence in today's generation
• Younger generation considers drug use social and acceptabl

Thank you