Alcohol advertisements on the television and in magazines appear to increase the consumption of alcohol, especially by young male drinkers

In November 2018 researchers from the USA and Germany published the results of their study to establish whether there was any association between alcohol advertising exposure and amount of alcohol consumed. 306,451 men and women, aged 18 and older living in the USA, were included in the study and divided into groups defined by age, gender, and the amount of beer, wine and spirits consumed.  Information on the number of alcohol advertisements the individuals were likely to see was collected via a marketing survey. Results showed that drinkers, particularly young male drinkers, appeared to see much more alcohol advertising. It was also noted that men in general, especially younger men, saw more advertisements for alcohol of all types than women. This can be largely explained by gender preferences in reading matter and television programmes as men tend to read sports and adult magazines and to watch sports and gambling television programmes which contain a higher amount of alcohol advertising.

Lillard DR et al. Television and Magazine Alcohol Advertising: Exposure and Trends by Sex and Age. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2018 Nov;79(6):881-892.

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