Hispanic Youth Exposed to More Alcohol Advertising Than Non-Hispanic Youth, Report Finds

4/30/2003

From: Nicole King of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 202-687-0884

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Hispanic youth in the United States have more alcohol advertising delivered to them than non-Hispanic youth across major youth-oriented media, according to a new report from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth.

The Center's analysis is the first comprehensive and systematic look at alcohol advertising exposure among Hispanic youth. In previous reports, the Center has found wide and pervasive exposure of all youth to alcohol advertising in magazines and on television and radio. This analysis compares the exposure of Hispanic youth to that of non-Hispanic youth and finds that Hispanic youth were even more exposed to alcohol advertising than the youth population as a whole.

"This report details what many in the Hispanic community have suspected, that their youth are seeing and hearing more alcohol advertising than youth in other communities," said David Jernigan, research director for the Center.

"This report quantifies for the first time the exposure of Hispanic kids to alcohol advertising compared to non-Hispanic youth. The fact that alcohol and tobacco companies repeatedly use Hispanic history and culture to create marketing opportunities concerns many Hispanic communities across the country," he said.

In auditing the exposure of Hispanic youth to alcohol advertising in magazines, and on television and radio in 2002, the Center found that:

-- Hispanic youth saw even more alcohol advertising in magazines than non-Hispanic youth. Hispanic youth read magazines in both English and Spanish. The bulk of alcohol advertising spending occurs in English-language magazines. In English-language magazines, compared to non-Hispanic youth, Hispanic youth saw 24 percent more beer and ale and 24 percent more distilled spirits advertising in magazines in 2002, and 32 percent more advertising for malternatives, alcopops and other "low-alcohol refreshers."

-- Hispanic youth heard more alcohol advertising on radio than non-Hispanic youth. In the top 10 markets with significant Hispanic youth audiences, Hispanic young people were more likely to listen to English-language than to Spanish-language radio. Hispanic youth heard 9 percent more distilled spirits advertising and 17 percent more ads for "low-alcohol refreshers," and as much beer and ale advertising on English-language radio as non-Hispanic youth.

-- Alcohol advertising was placed on a majority of the TV programs most popular with Hispanic youth. Alcohol advertisers spent $23.6 million to place ads on 12 of the 15 programs in English and Spanish that were most popular with Hispanic youth in 2002, including Vias del Amor, Ver Para Creer, That '70s Show, and MadTV.

-- Both Hispanic youth overexposure and spending on alcohol advertising were concentrated in a few markets. Five media markets-San Antonio, Los Angeles, Miami, Houston and San Francisco-overexposed Hispanic youth to alcohol advertising on English-language radio relative to non-Hispanic youth. These five were also among the seven markets that accounted for 85 percent of the spending by alcohol advertisers on Spanish-language television.

The consequences of alcohol use among Hispanic youth are serious and disturbing. According to recent research by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Hispanic young people are more likely to drink and to get drunk at an earlier age than non-Hispanic white or African-American young people. Hispanic high school students are more likely than non-Hispanic white or African-American students to report riding in a car with a driver who had been drinking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Furthermore, Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. Between 1990 and 2000, the U.S. Hispanic population grew 58 percent, from 22.4 to 35.3 million. This Hispanic population is also younger than the general population: 40 percent of Hispanics are under 21, versus 30 percent of the entire population. Hispanics' share of the population under 21 grew 61 percent since 1990, totaling 17 percent of the nation's youth under 21 in 2000.

Background on the report: This study employs industry-standard methodologies and sources including Competitive Media Resources (CMR), Simmons Market Research Bureau (SMRB), Hispanic Magazine Monitor, Media Monitors Inc. (MMI), and Arbitron Ratings.

--- About the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University monitors the marketing practices of the alcohol industry to focus attention and action on industry practices that jeopardize the health and safety of America's youth. The Center is supported by grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. More information on the Center and a full text of this study can be found at http://www.camy.org.