Nearly 6 in 10 Americans (58%) know that regularly consuming alcohol increases the chances of later developing cancer, according to a nationally representative survey in October by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC), a statistically significant increase of five percentage points since February 2026.

Overall, the current level of knowledge (58%) about the connection between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of cancer stands 18 percentage points higher than in September 2024, when the question was first asked.

Survey Methodology

Data collection was conducted between September 22 – October 5, 2026, on 1,842 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. This included 1,818 respondents who took the survey in English, and 24 respondents who took the survey in Spanish. Data were weighted to represent the U.S. residential adult population.