Updated Factsheet
African-American Youth and Alcohol Advertising

News Release
African-American Youth Overexposed to Alcohol Advertising
African-American Youth Exposed to More Alcohol Advertising Than Their Peers

Executive Summary

Exposure of African-American Youth to Alcohol Advertising, 2003 to 2004

Alcohol use is closely tied to the three leading causes of death among African-American youth ages 12 to 20: unintentional injuries (including motor vehicle crashes), homicides and suicides.¹ Yet, despite years of protest from African-American communities, African-American youth² continue to be inundated with more alcohol advertising than youth in the United States in general, even though African- American youth have tended to drink less than youth from other racial and ethnic groups. In 2003, the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) issued a report detailing the exposure of African-American youth to alcohol advertising in magazines and on radio and television in 2002.³ That report provided the first-ever comprehensive review of African-American youth exposure to alcohol advertising. This current report analyzes such exposure in 2003 and 2004. Specifically, the current report finds that:

• African-American youth ages 12 to 20 were consistently exposed to substantially more magazine advertising for distilled spirits and beer than were youth in general in 2003 and 2004, even as youth exposure to alcohol advertising in magazines was declining during those years.

• Compared to the per capita exposure of youth in general, African-American youth were exposed to 17% more beer and ale magazine advertising and 43% more distilled spirits magazine advertising per capita in 2003, as well as 21% more beer and ale advertising and 42% more distilled spirits advertising in magazines in 2004.

• In samples of radio advertising for alcohol from the summers of 2003 and 2004, African-American youth heard more radio alcohol advertising per capita than youth in general in nine of the 10 largest radio markets in 2003, and in six of the top 10 markets - New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas- Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston and Detroit - in 2004.

• African-American youth overexposure to radio advertising for alcohol dropped significantly compared to that of all youth from 2003 to 2004. In 2003, African-American youth heard 60% more alcohol advertising than youth in general, while in 2004 they heard 15% more.

• Advertisements for a single brand, Colt 45 Malt Liquor, delivered nearly a third (32%) of all radio alcohol advertising impressions among African-American youth in the summer 2004 sample.

• Alcohol advertising was placed on all 15 of the most-watched television programs among African-American youth in 2004. Three leading alcoholic beverage brands (Bud Light, Heineken Beer and Miller Genuine Draft) contributed more than half of the nearly $4.8 million spent on this advertising.

Why the Concern

There is substantial evidence that, although African-Americans may drink less than the general population, they suffer higher rates of alcohol-related problems. Alcohol is the drug most commonly used by African-American youth.⁴ While African-American youth consume less alcohol than their White and other ethnic minority peers, more than a third (37%) of African- American high school students are regular drinkers (i.e. at least once in the past 30 days).⁵ Alcohol use contributes to the three leading causes of death among African-American youth between ages 12 and 20: homicide, unintentional injury (including motor vehicle crashes) and suicide.⁶ In the African-American population in general, abstention rates are higher than in the general population, but so are prevalence of heavier drinking and levels of alcohol-related health consequences.⁷ Higher prevalence of frequent heavy drinking among African- American 18- to 29-year-olds is a recent development: frequent heavy drinking among 18-to-29-year-old White males declined between 1984 and 1995 - from 32% to 16% - but increased among African Americans in that age group - from 17% to 18%.⁸ Meanwhile, the age-adjusted death rate from alcohol-induced causes for African Americans is 10% higher than that for the general population.⁹

Alcohol products and imagery already pervade African-American youth culture. A recent study of alcohol mentions in rap music found that from 1979 to 1997 such references increased five-fold, with a particular increase in appearances of liquor and champagne brands after 1994. From 1994 to 1997, 71% of the rap songs that mentioned alcohol in this study's sample named a specific alcohol brand.¹⁰ Content analysis of 1,000 of the most popular songs from 1996 and 1997 revealed that this phenomenon is far more pronounced in rap music (47% of rap songs in the sample studied had alcohol references) than in country-western (13%), top 40 (12%), alternative rock (10%) or heavy metal (4%).¹¹ Numerous community-led campaigns have also documented greater out-ofhome alcohol advertising in urban African-American communities than in other neighborhoods, and have sought limits on this kind of advertising.¹²

A growing body of research has shown that youth who are exposed to alcohol marketing are more likely to drink and drink heavily, whether the marketing comes via the measured media of broadcast, print and out-of-home;¹³ alcohol logoed apparel;¹⁴ in-store beer displays or beer concessions at sporting and musical events;¹⁵ or placements in movies.¹⁶ The link between exposure to alcohol marketing and early initiation of alcohol use is of particular concern because of numerous studies that have shown that the earlier youth begin drinking, the more likely they are to become alcohol-dependent¹⁷ and experience other negative consequences of alcohol use such as violence, motor vehicle crashes or other unintentional injuries.¹⁸