Is It the Social Blaze That Gives the Caffeine Craze? : A quantitative study of how social factors influence the consumption habits of energy drinks among adolescents.

This thesis explores the long-term influence of social factors during adolescence on continued energy drink consumption into adulthood. With Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Learning Theory, the study tested seven hypotheses related to attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, reciprocal determinism, observational learning, social reinforcement and media influence. A quantitative research design was employed using a digital questionnaire targeting Swedish adults aged 18-24 who initiated consumption as adolescents between ages 10-17. The data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank correlation, and multiple linear regression. The findings revealed that attitudes during adolescence were the strongest predictor of continued consumption, supporting the Theory of Planned Behavior. In contrast, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control showed no significant or even negative relationships with long-term behavior. Regarding the Social Learning Theory variables, observational learning and reciprocal determinism were not predictive, while social reinforcement and media influence showed weak but statistically significant effects in the regression model only. These results suggest that although social factors may initiate consumption, long-term habits are more closely tied to internalized personal attitudes than to sustained social or environmental influence. This study contributes to behavioral research demonstrating that the Theory of Planned Behavior, particularly the role of attitudes, is more effective than the Social Learning Theory, in explaining habits extending from adolescence into adulthood. It offers implications for public health, policymakers, marketers, retailers, and educators with the goal of regulating energy drink consumption by focusing early interventions on shaping adolescents’ personal beliefs and attitudes, rather than relying exclusively on external or environmental factors.