Fifty-eight percent of U.S. adults said regular alcohol consumption can increase the chance of developing cancer, a five-point rise from February, according to a new national survey by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center.
The survey was conducted Sept. 22 through Oct. 5 among 1,842 adults by SSRS, an independent research company. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
Awareness has fluctuated over the past two years. The latest result is close to the 56% recorded in February 2025, after the U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory about alcohol and cancer, and 18 points higher than the first survey measurement in September 2024.
Still, 42% of respondents did not identify the link. About 24% said they were unsure whether alcohol affects cancer risk, and 17% incorrectly said it has no effect, according to the Annenberg center.
The surgeon general’s advisory describes alcohol as a cause of at least seven cancers, including cancers of the breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and voice box. The National Cancer Institute says risk generally rises with greater consumption.
The Annenberg center said it cannot determine whether news coverage of research or the surgeon general’s warning caused the recent increase in awareness. Research analyst Laura Gibson told the center that continued media coverage can help make health risks more familiar.
The federal dietary guidelines released in January advise people to limit alcoholic beverages for better health, but they do not mention cancer risk, the center noted. The prior guidelines explicitly discussed the alcohol-cancer connection.
The survey measured public knowledge, not drinking behavior or cancer outcomes. Its findings show that many adults still do not know about the relationship, even as awareness has returned to roughly its level after the 2025 advisory.