According to a nationally representative survey conducted in October by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, the number of Americans aware of the connection between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of cancer has increased to 58%.
The policy center has been tracking public knowledge about alcohol causing cancer for 2 years. In September 2024, about 40% of Americans were aware, which increased to 56% in February 2025, partly due to an advisory from then Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, about cancer risks from consuming alcohol. Thereafter, however, the rate decreased to 53%.
Since February 2026, when the survey was last issued, data was released by the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine demonstrating how cancer mortality due to alcohol has increased over time. These findings were repeated in mass media headlines.
However, according to Laura A. Gibson, a research analyst at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, it is not possible to directly link the increase in knowledge about alcohol and cancer risk to news coverage or even the surgeon general's advisory, but “we know that ongoing media coverage plays an important role in amplifying the general public’s awareness of health risks."
Added to this is the fact that the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not include cancer risk as a reason to limit alcohol consumption when it released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 resource.
In October 2026, 42% of Americans did not recognize that regular consumption of alcohol could increase cancer risk, including 17% who believed that alcohol consumption had no effect on their chances of developing cancer later in life plus 24% who were unsure about the risks.
About the Survey
The policy center issued their latest national survey of attitudes on public health between September 22 and October 5, 2026. The survey reached 1,842 respondents out of an invited sample size of 2,537 individuals to represent the U.S. adult population. The survey was conducted with SSRS, an independent research company. Data collection was completed through web or telephone.
