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�A - Youth and Alcohol: Key Facts and Prevention Ideas frequently than females (37% compared with 23%), this gender gap has been diminishing gradually over the past decade (Johnston et al, 1996a). Availability and Affordability of Alcohol . Nearly 90% of tenth graders and 75% of eighth graders think alcohol is either "fairly easy" or "very easy" for them to get. These students ranked alcohol a close second in perceived availability behind cigarettes, followed by marijuana and amphetamines (Johnston et a1,1996a). . Almost two thirds (or 6.9 million) of junior and high school students who consume alcohol purchase their own beverages (OIG, 1991). Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol to Young People A recent study of more than 300 World Wide Web sites finds that 25 major alcohol beverage companies are using the Web to advertise and promote their products through a variety of marketing techniques that capitalize on the Web's strong attraction for young people. Such techniques include sponsorship of music and sports, interactive games and contests, and chat and message boards. Overall, there are now hundreds of Web sites that promote alcohol, drinking, and specific products. Nearly five million youth ages 2 to 17 used the Internet or an on- line service from school or home in 1996, and more than nine million college students use the Internet regularly (CME,1997a/b/c). Beer and wine companies spent about $525 million on advertising in the first eight months of 1996. Three top beer companies spent $396.7 million on advertising in the first nine months of 1996 -- 17% more than during the same period in 1995. Coors increased its ad budget by 3 1%; Miller, by 26%; and Budweiser, by 5%. The vast majority of beer and wine ads run on network, cable, and local broadcasting outlets (Grant, 1996). . The typical American young person will see 100,000 beer commercials before he or she turns 18 (CSAP, n.d.). . Studies show that with greater exposure to beer advertising, children have higher recall of brands or brand cartoon characters, are more likely to expect to drink as adults, and hold more positive beliefs about the social and ritual uses of beer (Grube & Wallack, 1994; Lieber, n.d.). . Content analyses of alcohol advertisements on television show that the ads link drinking with highly valued personal attributes such as sociability, elegance, and physical attractiveness, and with desirable outcomes such as success, relaxation, romance, and adventure (Grube, Page 4 of 12 http://www.ama-assn.org/speciaUaos/alcohol l/reseazch/ythfcts.htm 10/26/99