Alcohol-outlet density and violence are clearly linked over time

Livingston explained that, for inner-city areas, each additional hotel pub or on-premise license was related to two extra night-time assaults per year – the strongest link found in the study. Bars and restaurants were strongly related to violence in inner-suburban areas, with each extra premise responsible for, on average, an extra 0.5 night-time assaults per year. Packaged liquor outlets were the strongest influence on violence rates in outer-suburban areas, he added.

“The results of this study don’t really point to particular communities being more at risk than others,” Livingston said, “instead they suggest that different types of outlets are problematic in different areas.”

“These differences likely reflect how different types of outlets function in different parts of the metropolitan area,” added Room. “Many of the purchases from downtown package stores may be by commuters, with the alcohol consumed elsewhere, while package stores in the suburbs may be more problematic, for instance, in attracting under-age drinkers. Generally, it seems that on-premise outlets may be more problematic downtown, while packaged liquor outlets are more problematic in the suburbs.”

Both Livingston and Room recommend that greater attention be paid to outlet density when issuing liquor licenses.

“The strong longitudinal relationship between outlet density and violence greatly strengthens the evidence base that density of alcohol outlets in a suburb is a driver of violence, making liquor licensing and planning regulations legitimate areas for public-health interventions,” said Livingston.

“Alcohol controls,” noted Room, “that is, limits on the number of licenses, on opening hours, etc., definitely matter, even if we often take them for granted as part of the social scenery. Rates of harms due to drinking can be influenced by these kinds of not-very-visible controls. Specifically, the density of alcohol outlets is an important dimension to consider in alcohol policymaking.”

Livingston recommended that residents pay attention to the number and kind of alcohol outlets in their neighborhoods. “The strongest implication of these findings for the average reader is that changes to the local environment, through additional outlets, can lead to increasing local problems, such as violence. We’re advocating a much more localised approach to liquor licensing, where local governments have a greater say in how their areas are developed.”

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER) is the official journal of the Research Society on Alcoholism and the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism. The study’s title is “A Longitudinal Analysis of Alcohol Outlet Density and Assault.” The study was funded by the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation.