How much do Europeans know about the link between alcohol use and cancer - Results from an online survey in 14 countries

Sep 21, 2026

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Objective: In the EU, where alcohol consumption is among the highest worldwide, cancer remains the leading cause of alcohol-attributable deaths. Existing studies indicate public knowledge gaps, yet systematic assessment is limited. This report provides original cross-sectional survey data from an online experimental study in 14 European countries, examining baseline knowledge of the alcohol-NCD link, especially cancer. Methods: A 2022–2023 online questionnaire measured adults’ baseline knowledge of alcohol-attributable health issues, with emphasis on cancer, using population weights.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages6

Reading Time15 min

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Background on NCDs and alcohol risk

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Neufeld et al. BMC Research Notes (2024) 17:56 BMC Research Notes [https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-024-06707-w](https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-024-06707-w) RESEARCH NOTE Open Access How much do Europeans know about the link between alcohol use and cancer? Results from an online survey in 14 countries Maria Neufeld 1*, Daša Kokole 1,2, Daniela Correia 1,3, Carina Ferreira-Borges 1, Aleksandra Olsen 1, Alexander Tran4 and Jürgen Rehm4,5,6,7 Abstract Objective In the EU, which has the highest drinking levels worldwide, cancer is the primary cause of alcoholattributable deaths. Existing studies show gaps in public knowledge, but there is lack of systematic appraisal. Thereport presents original data from a cross-sectional survey conducted within the framework of an online experimental study in 14 European countries, which among other things assessed baseline knowledge of the alcohol-NCD link, particularly cancer. Methods Online questionnaire among adults who consume alcohol conducted in 14 countries in 2022–2023 using different recruitment strategies and applying population weights for the final sample. Baseline assessments measured participants’ knowledge of alcohol-attributable health issues (with a specific focus on cancer) . Results Baseline knowledge assessment showed that 90% indicated a causal role of alcohol for liver disease, 68% for heart diseases, and only 53% for cancer. Knowledge of specific alcohol-attributable cancer types was lower, with 39% aware of the link between alcohol use and colon cancer, 28% regarding oral cancer, and only 15% regarding female breast cancer. Knowledge levels varied across different countries and population groups. Conclusion Most Europeans do not know which cancers can be caused by alcohol use and knowledge is low specifically for female breast cancer. More awareness raising and prevention efforts are needed, such as the placement of cancer-specific health warnings on alcohol container labels. Keywords Alcohol, cancer, Knowledge, Noncommunicable diseases, Prevention, Public health, Risk factors *Correspondence: Maria Neufeld [neufeld. maria@gmail.com](neufeld. maria@gmail.com); [neufeldm@who.int](neufeldm@who.int) 1WHO Regional Office for Europe, UN City, Marmorvej 51, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark 2CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, 6200 Maastricht, MDPOB 616, the Netherlands 3EPIUnit- Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal 4Research Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Ursula Franklin Street, M5S 2S1 Toronto, ON, Canada 5Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, Canada 6University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinistraße 52, Hamburg, Germany 7Public Health Agency of Catalonia, WHO Collaborating Centre on Substance Use, Noncommunicable Diseases and Policy Impact, 81-95 Roc Boronat St, 08005 Barcelona, Spain © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/l](http://creativecommons.org/l)icense

FAQs

What was the objective of the study on alcohol use and cancer knowledge?

The study aimed to assess baseline public knowledge about the alcohol-NCD link, with a particular focus on cancer, in 14 European countries.

How were participants recruited and how was the survey conducted?

An online questionnaire was administered in 2022–2023 among adults who consume alcohol across 14 countries, using different recruitment strategies and applying population weights.

What did the results show about Europeans’ knowledge of alcohol-attributable cancer?

While many participants recognized alcohol’s role in some diseases, only a minority associated alcohol with specific cancers, with especially low awareness for female breast cancer.

Sep 21, 2026

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