ARLINGTON, Va., April 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, new survey findings reveal both parents and kids cite parents as the leading influence on kid’s decisions to not drink alcohol. The research further demonstrates the foremost responsibility to address the problems of underage drinking lies with their own family.

According to a new survey, 89% of parents believe they hold the leading influence over their kids’ decisions not to drink at all or to not drink on occasion. A second tier of perceived influences behind parents on their kids’ decision not to drink underage includes friends/peers (57%), brothers/sisters (42%), and teachers (40%). Further, when asked to prioritize responsibility, 71% identify my family as having the highest level of responsibility to address underage drinking, well ahead of their child’s school, and their community.  The survey of parents, with at least one child ages 10-18 living in the household, was contracted by The Century Council, the leading national not-for-profit funded by distillers dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinkingand conducted by Toluna in March 2013.

“As parents we need to start the discussion about alcohol as early as age 11 and continue having the discussion often throughout middle school, high school and college,” said Ralph Blackman , President and CEO of The Century Council. “The Century Council provides resources to parents and educators to lead these conversations with their kids.”

The new survey results support a February 2012 survey, also conducted by Toluna among youth 10-18 years old, that revealed 83% of youth identified parents as the leading influence on their decision not to drink at all or not to drink on occasion.  The findings demonstrate the importance of having conversations with your kids about underage drinking.

Top Underage Drinking Conversation Topics Among Parents and Their Children

Today’s survey indicates most parents are talking to their kids about underage drinking, with only 10%  reporting they have not yet had a conversation.  When discussing underage drinking, parents are primarily talking about: how alcohol affects the brain and body (67%), drinking and driving is against the law/illegal (64%), alcohol is illegal (58%), and being physically harmed or killed (49%).  Interestingly, the top conversations among parents and their kids on underage drinking are the same regardless of the age of their kids.

The Century Council’s Mission to Fight Underage Drinking

The Century Council’s Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix program is the most widely-distributed alcohol awareness education program of its kind for parents, kids, teachers and caregivers. Developed in 2003, Ask, Listen, Learn has been independently evaluated and has effectively reached parents, kids, teachers and caregivers alike in a concerted effort to combat underage drinking.  Late in 2012, The Century Council teamed up with two-time gold medal gymnast, 2012 Captain of the US Women’s Gymnastics and Dancing with the Stars contestant, Aly Raisman and her parents, Lynn and Rick Raisman , to encourage these conversations.

“As the oldest sibling in my family and captain of the U.S. Gymnastics Team, I take my leadership position very seriously and encourage kids to join me in making smart decisions, including saying no to alcohol, in order to reach their goals,” said Aly Raisman . “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the guidance and support of my family, especially my parents, who have always encouraged me to make healthy and informed decisions in life.”

As a team captain and role model, Aly supports this national campaign to say no to underage drinking through in-school presentations, national media opportunities, print materials provided by Scholastic Magazine, social media and online content at www.asklistenlearn.com. Aly travels to middle schools across the nation to encourage kids to join her in making healthy decisions. She challenges them on the interactive Ask, Listen, Learn educational game, providing an opportunity for middle school kids to learn about the negative consequences of underage drinking and benefits of making healthy decisions while they exercise.

“As parents, we believe it is our responsibility to engage in life conversations with our children early and often so they understand the importance of decision-making, especially in peer-pressure situations.  In our household, we have made a concerted effort to model good behavior and talk to our kids about underage drinking in everyday situations,” said Lynn and Rick Raisman , parents of Aly Raisman .  “We maintain an open dialogue around current events, news stories, topics they may have overheard from their friends and are honest about our own experiences growing up as teachable moments.”

Visit www.centurycouncil.org and www.asklistenlearn.com to learn how to #JoinTheConvo in April as we place focus on Alcohol Awareness Month and continue the work to keep our nation’s youth safe and alcohol-free.

About The Century Council
The Century Council, is a national not-for-profit leader in the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and is funded by the following distillers: Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.; Beam, Inc.; Brown-Forman; Constellation Brands, Inc.; DIAGEO; Hood River Distillers, Inc.; and Pernod Ricard USA. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, The Century Council promotes responsible decision making regarding beverage alcohol and develops and implements innovative programs and public awareness campaigns which ignite action through strategic partnerships. Established in 1991, The Century Council’s initiatives are highlighted on its website at www.centurycouncil.org and www.asklistenlearn.org

About the research
The Century Council contracted with Toluna to conduct an online survey of parents with at least one child ages 10-18 living in the household.  Using one of Toluna’s demographically diverse panels, an online survey of 600 parents was completed March 14-18, 2013.  The data were weighted to ensure the sample was national representative of parents with a 10-18 year old living in their household.  Toluna is the world’s leading independent online panel and survey technology provider to the global market research industry.  The margin of error for a sample of this size is +/- 4.0%.

The Century Council contracted Toluna to conduct an online survey of 10-18 year olds and parents of 10-18 year olds living in the same household.  Using one of Toluna’s demographically diverse panels, the survey matched parents of 10-18 year olds and their age appropriate son or daughter at the same time.  A nationally representative sample of 509 parents and 10-18 years was completed February 15-16, 2012.  Toluna is the world’s leading independent online panel and survey technology provider to the global market research industry.  The margin of error among the national sample is +/- 4.3%.

SOURCE The Century Council

Jim Fredrickson, Toluna COO, commented, “We are thrilled to announce the hiring of Sandy Casey.  Her industry background, global experience, and proven track record make her a great addition to the team.  We are confident that Ms. Casey will pave the way for continued success for Toluna.”

Ms. Casey brings a wealth of experience to Toluna.  Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President, Supply for CINT.  In her role she was responsible for making significant increases to CINT’s respondent capacity, developing unique panel products for customers, and serving on the team’s Executive Management Team.

“Toluna places extreme value on the respondent experience, the unique community approach engages respondents and invites them to share their opinion, engage with other members of the community and as a result, members share true insight, they are loyal, and they value our relationship with them,” says Ms. Casey.  “I am delighted to join the team and continue to build Toluna’s respondent reach.”

George Terhanian will transition from the dual role as President, Toluna North America and Group Chief Strategy and Products Officer to the single role as Group Chief Strategy and Products Officer.  Dr. Terhanian will assume responsibility for Toluna’s Technology practice and Toluna QuickSurveys™ as part of a strategic reorganization that brings together the functions of strategy development, products, product marketing and marketing.

Mark Simon has been appointed to the position of Managing Director, Toluna North America.  Since joining Toluna as a founding member of the UK office in 2005, Mr. Simon has excelled in a number of different roles, most recently serving as Managing Director of Toluna’s UK office while also overseeing the development and launch of Toluna’s PanelPortal Online Communities and Toluna QuickSurveys products.  In his new role he will be responsible for Toluna’s North American business.  Mr. Simon has relocated and is now based in the company’s US headquarters in Wilton, CT.

In addition, Julie Paul joins Toluna as Senior Vice President, Online Communities.  Prior to joining Toluna, she was Senior Vice President, Interactive Custom Panels at IPSOS.  Ms. Paul brings a wealth of experience in the area of online communities, panels, market research and online operations.  She will be responsible for the continued worldwide expansion of Toluna’s community panels business.  She will report to Dr. Terhanian.

Paul Twite has been promoted UK Sales Director to Managing Director of Toluna’s UK office.  Mr. Twite has been with Toluna since 2010 and will be responsible for Toluna’s UK business.

“These appointments are critical to Toluna’s continued growth and success,” says Frederic-Charles Petit, CEO.   “Toluna has innovation in its DNA.  We strive to provide cutting-edge, sophisticated data collection and consumer insight solutions to the market research industry.  George Terhanian’s laser focus on Toluna’s strategic development and product portfolio is critical as the industry continues to evolve.”

“Further,” says Petit, “Mark Simon has done an excellent job during his career at Toluna as Managing Director for Toluna UK, and as the head of the Group Technology Practice.  His depth of industry knowledge, leadership, product, and technology experience will be a great asset for our business in North America.”

“We are pleased as well to announce the hiring of Julie Paul.   Her experience, and best practices approach will enable us to continue to building our already successful PanelPortal Online Community product offering.”

“Finally, it is a pleasure to be able to promote Paul Twite to the role of Managing Director, UK. Paul has done a fantastic job since joining Toluna and we expect him to flourish in his new role.”

 Dialogue Selects Toluna’s PanelPortal™ Online Communities to Power Community Panel

(Wilton, CT) Toluna, one of the world’s leading online research panel and survey technology providers, announces partnership with Dialogue, a full-service quantitative and qualitative research/brand consultancy that focuses on providing clients with research for the digital age. 

Dialogue has been using community approaches for some time, and selected Toluna’s PanelPortal Online Communities product to power its Travel Talk community of more than 5,000 members. PanelPortal Online Communities provide an engaging environment for respondents, allowing them to chat with one and other, post to their own member profiles, and blog.  Rebecca Brooks of Dialogue says “PanelPortal Online Communities provide a suite of features to help us more effectively engage with our panelists, and encourage their long-term participation.  We’re able to mine on-site feedback to provide our clients with unparalleled insight and rich narratives about travel enthusiasts.

It was clear from our first conversation that Toluna’s Panel Portal platform provided Dialogue and its client with a ‘win-win-win’ solution.  The active 5,000 panelists, can more easily and more directly share opinions and insights much faster than before – and that has sped up decision-making for everyone.  By focusing on the panelist experience, Dialogue is creating more engaging activities and faster results.”

Powered by Toluna, PanelPortal Online Communities power more than 200 global communities. PanelPortal Online Communities put the power of consumer insight gathering and engagement in the hands of market research professionals who wish to create better products and services along with deeper relationships with their consumers.

About Dialogue

Dialogue proves that research can be adaptive, sharp, creative and solutions-oriented without sacrificing time, quality or efficiency.   Since the company’s beginning in 2004 and the introduction of quantitative in 2009, Dialogue has been committed to immersive partnerships with their clients, harnessing innovations to deliver best-in-class research, and providing a fluid approach to customization.

Dialogue is a full-service market research firm with deep experience in tracking, communications testing, shopper research, segmentation and ad hoc projects.

(Wilton, CT)  Toluna, one of the world’s leading online research respondent and technology providers, announces a series of best-in-class enhancements to TolunaAnalytics™, the company’s proprietary, web-based data reporting and analysis tool.  TolunaAnalytics is offered to clients as a standard feature for all full-service data collection projects (including mobile surveys), and within Toluna’s PanelPortal™, branded custom community product.

“One of Toluna’s key differentiators is its dedication to improving the speed and depth of insight available to the research professionals we work with,” states Frédéric-Charles Petit, CEO, Toluna.   “We have designed TolunaAnalytics to access and analyze survey responses within minutes of survey deployment.  This real-time analytic opportunity enables clients to operate more efficiently, and provide expedited analytics.”

TolunaAnalytics provides users with advanced, yet easy-to-use features – ideal for the novice and expert analyst alike.  Users can weight data, create segments and conduct significance testing.  Clients are empowered to create their own cross-tabulations, and to prepare personalized PowerPoint presentations at the click of a button.  TolunaAnalytics is compatible with all browser types and devices, whether they are computers, Smart phones, or tablet PCs.

Feature improvements are focused on design and interface improvements, compatibility with PowerPoint, and more advanced functionality including the ability to customize confidence intervals, and conduct significance testing for overlapping questions which yields an increasingly sophisticated analytic platform.

Key features of TolunaAnalytics (in addition to those mentioned above)

• Generate a project field report at a click of button (that include information about completion rates, timing, etc), highly-customizable cross-tabulations, and PowerPoint presentations.
• PowerPoint templates can be customized to meet client’s needs with the click of a button.
• Quick access to verbatim responses.
• Powerful capabilities – analyze multiple languages simultaneously.

Best-in-class platform TolunaAnalytics

• Reliable – data is encrypted, password-protected and accessible 24×7.
• Securely share read-only reports online with your clients and partners – you set the password
• Single platform for both reporting and custom analytics.

View a TolunaAnalytics webinar http://youtu.be/7sez3NclJM4.