Background: Socioeconomic status has significant effects on various health outcomes, as well as certain behaviors.
Objective: This study aims to study the impact of socioeconomic status on alcohol consumption in Ireland. Socioeconomic status will be determined via employment status and level of education. Alcohol consumption will be determined via frequency of alcohol consumption and treatment for alcohol abuse. The study will evaluate data collected from various entities within Ireland to determine if such a link exists. Data will primarily be sourced from the HRB National Drugs Library. Data will be collected and compared on four metrics: alcohol consumption frequency vs employment status, alcohol consumption frequency vs level of education, treatment for alcohol abuse vs employment status, and treatment for alcohol abuse vs level of education. The data will then be analyzed to determine if there is a viable link. This study will be in line with public health research that aims to study general trends in the population.
Hypothesis: Alcohol consumption will increase with increased socioeconomic status. However, excessive alcohol consumption increases with lower socioeconomic status.