FRIDAY, Oct. 30, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Nearly 6 in 10 Americans know that boozing increases a person’s odds of cancer, a new survey has found.
The findings reflect increased public awareness of studies that link alcohol consumption to cancer, according to experts with the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
“We know that ongoing media coverage plays an important role in amplifying the general public’s awareness of health risks,” Laura Gibson, a senior data analyst at the Annenberg Center, said in a news release.
The survey, conducted Sept. 22 to Oct. 5 among 1,842 U.S. adults, found that 58% of Americans were aware that regular drinking increases risk of developing cancer later.
That’s 5 percentage points higher than when the same question was posed in February 2026, and around the same level as when the Annenberg Center asked the question in February 2025.
Back then, 56% of Americans knew about the connection between alcohol and cancer when asked, which occurred a month after former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory linking booze to at least seven different types of cancer.
Shortly before the new survey, researchers at the University of Miami published data showing that alcohol-related cancer deaths had more than doubled during the past three decades, poll experts noted.
However, a good portion of the American public remains confused on the subject. Nearly a quarter (24%) aren’t sure if alcohol affects cancer risk, and 17% incorrectly think there’s no link between alcohol and cancer.
Part of this confusion could stem from public policy under the Trump administration, experts said.
The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in January eliminated explicit warnings about the relationship between alcohol and cancer, the Annenberg Center noted. Instead, the guidelines merely advise limiting drinking to improve overall health.
The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
More information
The National Cancer Institute has more on alcohol and cancer risk.
SOURCE: Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, news release, Oct. 27, 2026
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