Introduction
MLDA (Minimum Legal Drinking Age) law indicates the legal age when a person is allowed to buy alcoholic beverages within the US borders. MLDA in the US is 21 years; Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, establishing 21 as the minimum legal purchase age. The minimum drinking age in the US is relatively higher cored to other nations (Carpenter & Dobkin, 2011). The MLDA in the US was established in 1984 by the National Minimum Drinking Age Act (Edwards, 2019). Why did the congress choose to pick 21 years as the legal minimum drinking age when an individual becomes a legal adult at 18? Initially, during the 1930s, the legal drinking age was 21 (Cheng & Anthony, 2016). The law was upheld until 1971, during the period when the minimum age one was allowed to participate in voting was reduced to 18 years (Edwards, 2019); however, the rate of drunkenness was reported to be on the rise. Therefore, a debate regarding the age MLDA was ignited. Amid 1970-1975, almost half the states had decreased the legal drinking age to ranging between 18-20.
Data
This data collection will apply a qualitative data collection methods since the approach plays a critical role in impact assessment by offering the needed useful information to help a researcher to comprehend the procedures behind the results as well as evaluate changes in perceptions. Additionally, the qualitative method can possibly be applied to enhance the quality of survey-based quantitative assessment by assisting to generate evaluation hypothesis; facilitating the development of survey questionnaires and extending the level of findings (Chambers & Skinner, 2003). The qualitative method was selected because of the following advantages:
- The technique seems to be open-ended and does not have complicated structures; and thus research is in a position to alter the data gathering approach if need be by either refining, adding or omitting techniques
- It depends significantly on interactive interviews; therefore respondents may be interrogated many times to assist in following up on specific issues and make clarification on a concept and assess the reliability of data
- It applies triangulation to optimize the credibility of the findings since it would be possible to check the authenticity of the outcome form a research
Overall, the findings of a qualitative method are never generalized to any particular population sample; however, every case study generates single evidence that can be applied to attain general patterns among various researches of the same problem, baseless, of the type of data engaged, data gathering in qualitative research involves much time. Nonetheless, the researcher requires to recorded any potentially useful data tactfully and systematically and other appropriate means and applying the set principles.
However, the qualitative methods may have several disadvantages, some of which include:
Qualitative method is never statistically representative types of data collection, and it only offers data from perspectives. Additionally, the feedbacks are not typically measured. It cannot be applied in a survey that requires statistical data.
It depends on the experience of the researcher engaged in the study procedure. For instance, the researcher must be familiar with the type of data he or she is collecting and can be confident to ask to follow up questions and engage in professional connections with the respondents to make sure that the data collected are valid and accurate.
The qualitative method can quickly lose data; therefore, the data have to be familiarized by the researcher to be in a position to accurately and effectively collect the needed data. Moreover,a researcher is likely to lose data when they are not able to see them; thus minimizes the level of accuracy from the qualitative study efforts, and even leading to inappropriate conclusion and recommendations.
In the research, open-ended structured questions will be applied. The data method to be used will involve the following: In-depth interview, Observation methods and Document review.
In-Depth Interview
In-depth interview is necessary qualitative data gathering approach which will be applied for various purposes such as project refinement, strategic planning and needs assessment. There are sufficient for situations in which a study uses open-ended questions to seek for more depth of opinion from a few participants. This method would involve direct involvement with the participants. It will be applied in place of face-to-face interactions and over the phone interviews. This method had various advantages and disadvantages that we based our judgment while assessing the method before selecting it.
Advantages of Using In-Depth Interview
- The interviewer is likely to enhance a good rapport with the respondent; thus able to solicit for a more insightful response such as in susceptible issues
- The interviewer tends to have a significant chance to ask to follow questions and to probe for any additional information relevant for the topic under study
- There is a significant quality of sampling when using in-depth interview
- Only few respondents need to retrieve all pertinent information for the study
- There are lesser potential destructions
- Because in-depth interviews can potentially be so insightful, it is possible to identify highly valuable findings quickly.
- Disadvantages of using In-depth interview
- It is relatively time-consuming since the interview has to be arranged, analyzed and recorded appropriately and also a selection of the participant in a bid to avoid bias may take longer time.
- It requires a highly skilled and knowledgeable interview to avoid invalidity of the data collection.
- In some instance, the whole process may prove costly.
- Participants usually expect an incentive to engage, and this has been tactfully chosen to avoid bias.
Focus Groups
A focus group interview was applied in which six people who share standard features or common interest. A facilitator was to direct the groups based on a predetermined set topic. The facilitator builds an environment that facilitates respondents to share their views effectively. The focus groups are basically a qualitative data collection approach, indicating that data is actually descriptive and can never be assessed numerically. This method was selected after analyzing both its advantages and disadvantages, as shown below:
Advantages:
- The focus group was easy to arrange and initiate
- The group dynamic can give practical information which a person data gathering does not offer.
- It is useful in achieving insight into a relevant topic which may be more challenges to collect via other data collection approaches.
Disadvantages:
- Vulnerable to facilitator bias
- A few people can possibly dominate the discussion.
- The data analysis is relatively time-consuming and required to be planned prior.
- It sometimes does not offer credible information at the individual level.
Hypothesis
In this research, the following hypothesis was designed to answer the research questions adequately
The minimum legal drinking age was set at 21 due to medical and psychological reasons
Setting the minimum legal drinking age at 21 years has reduced road accidents, improved school attendance, and has resulted in a reduction in overall drinking habits.
The minimum legal drinking age in the US should be dropped to 18 years.
The hypothesis proposes the reason for the observation of a situation regarding the MLDA. The hypotheses were informed and thus debatable of its varied advantages and disadvantages. The hypothesis was founded on the information collected via study and observation and enhanced by evidence in terms of statistics and facts.
Testing
The possible causes of the observations regarding the Drinking Age limit were carefully considered and the result were projected due to the consistency and reliability. Some of the less obvious factors were also considered. The experiment was developed to test the hypothesis by determining a testing group and a control group. The control group did not actually encounter the testing variables and functions at the basis of comparison against which the testing group was assessed. To maximize and isolate the resulting effects, only a single variable was regularly changed.
Survey Questions
What is your gender?
Male
Female
Bisexual
What is your age group?
(15-24)
(25-30)
(50-47)
(48-65)
(70-80)
- How occasionally do you take alcoholic beverages?
- In your opinion, do you feel that lower drinking age contribute to an accident and domestic violence or not?
- Do you think that the drinking age limit should be lower to 16?
- Do you believe that the drinking age limit should be increased to 24?
- Young adults in other nations seem to be exposed to alcohol relatively earlier. Do you believe that those countries have a higher level of alcohol-related problems that we do?
- How can campaigns against the consumption of alcohol at a tender age encourage responsible drinking?
- In many occasions, youth below the set minimum drinking age limit tend to be exposed to alcohol. Does this prove that the regulations regarding MLDA are ineffective?
- Can you suggest some of the strategies that you believe can help to minimize the consumption of alcohol at a tender age?
Explain the Validity and Reliability of the Survey
The validity of the survey was concerned with the success of the study and helped to set out how to evaluate the findings. A reference to transferability was included since the qualitative survey was never designed to be generalized. In this survey, casual relationships were not explored. The survey tended to address the original topic. In-depth interviews were used as a tool to help yield consistent results; therefore, it was possible to draw conclusion satisfactorily and even develop a theory. Based on the survey, it is most likely that the participant would still give similar responses.
