The findings fly in the face of alcohol industry claims that advertising does not make people drink more but only makes them switch brands, and they have led to calls by UK pressure group Alcohol Concern for a ban on pre-watershed advertising.
The research was conducted by the University of Connecticut and interviewed a sample of people aged 15 to 26 years. It found that those who viewed more alcohol ads tended to drink more alcohol, with each ad viewed increasing the number of drinks consumed by 1%. The figures applied to underage drinkers, or those younger than 21, as well as those who can drink legally.
The study also looked at drinking in relation to the amount of money spent on advertising in the respondents' media markets. It found that young people drank 3% more per month for each additional dollar spent per capita in their market. Where $10 per head was spent on alcohol advertising, people were drinking a peak of 50 drinks per month by the age of 25. The survey interviewed 1,872 young people.
Leslie Snyder, who conducted the research, said: "The results contradict claims that advertising is unrelated to youth drinking amounts; that advertising at best causes brand switching, only affects those older than the legal drinking age or is effectively countered by current educational efforts. Alcohol advertising was a contributing factor to youth drinking quantities over time."
In the UK, people who appear in alcohol advertisements must be aged 25 or over and children must not be seen or heard. In addition there are restrictions on when such ads can be shown, for example, during programmes where a large proportion of the audience is under the age of 18.
The University of Connecticut's findings have prompted Alcohol Concern to call for more restrictions on when alcohol ads are screened.
Don Shenker, director of policy and services at Alcohol Concern, said: "We urge the drinks industry not to advertise its products or sponsor programmes before the watershed.
"We would urge the government to take the industry to task if it acts irresponsibly in relation to marketing alcohol to underage drinkers."
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