Seventy percent of people responding to a Dunedin City Council survey identified drinking by people under the age of 18 as more of a significant problem in the city than traffic crashes, dangerous driving or violent crime.
The survey of members of the council's people's panel also revealed respondents believed alcohol was too readily available in Dunedin and the drinking culture was an unhealthy problem that needed to be addressed, although the number of off- and on-licences in Dunedin neighbourhoods was felt to be about right.
Most of the 367 respondents (92%) considered alcohol played a significant role in physical violence and anti-social behaviour, and that the negative effects of alcohol were most strongly linked to bars and pubs, although the most commonly identified place where alcohol was sold was supermarkets.
Most (60%) thought there should be more restrictions on the hours alcohol could be sold from grocery stores/dairies, but felt, on the whole, that current restrictions for restaurants, sports clubs, bars and bottle stores were appropriate.
Respondents were equally divided on whether there should be more restrictions on the hours alcohol could be sold in supermarkets.
Most (67%) said one-way door restrictions should be required in bars and pubs.
Just over half thought drinking in public places should not be restricted, but of those that thought it should, most said the North Dunedin student area was where restrictions should be increased.
Council liquor licensing co-ordinator Kevin Mechen said he had asked for the survey so he could get a feel for the community's views on alcohol.
The information was only one part of wider research the council was doing to understand people's views on alcohol, and would be presented to the new council, along with information from many other sources, to assist it with drafting a new local alcohol policy.
Under new legislation, councils can draft their own policies about the sale and supply of alcohol in their geographical area.
The local licensing committee will have to consider the policy when it makes decisions on licence applications.
The 683 members of the council's people's panel - a group which anyone can register to be part of, and which is regularly surveyed by the council on issues it seeks opinions and feedback on - were surveyed on alcohol earlier this year, with a summary report of the results published on October 23.
Mr Mechen said people's attitudes to alcohol were complex, and sometimes contradictory, and did not always reflect reality.
The survey showed, for example, that to some extent, people's views were influenced by their and others' experiences and the media - 92% of respondents said they became aware of issues in Dunedin through the media.
He said the survey results would help focus the council's alcohol policy on the areas of concern, so far as it could under new legislation.
Councillors would receive an update on progress on the development of a new local alcohol policy for Dunedin before the end of the year.
They would also take into consideration, in drafting the policy, what was happening in other areas of the country, including Christchurch, where more than 3500 submissions were recently made on a ''relatively hard-ball'' new local alcohol policy for that city.
A draft policy, agreed by the council, would be submitted to the community for comment next year.
