A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE DRINKING PATTERNS OF NEGRO AND WHITE ADULTS IN TWO MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITIES

Abstract

This study examines the events and circumstances which surround the act of drinking among a representative sample of Negro and white adults in two Mississippi communities. It proceeds on the theoretical assumption that within the cultural system of a group of people there is a general ethos or decorum regarding beverage alcohol which influences the type of response men make toward it. Thus, it is assumed that the cultural differences which exist between the racial systems will be reflected in varying drinking patterns. The ·results, however, showed that the drinking styles and the factors which influence an individual to drink were essentially the same in both racial groups.