Alcohol advertising is in the firing line as research reveals 67.2% of Australians believe alcohol sponsorship should be phased out of sport.

The Roy Morgan study, which surveyed more than 1000 adult Australians, found 72.9% believe alcohol and sport have become too closely related.

The Salvation Army, which commissioned the survey as part of its Alcohol Awareness Week, is calling on the Federal Government to review alcohol advertising.

Salvation Army spokesperson Gerard Byrne said the impact on children and young people is the motivator behind the call for a review.

“Australia is a sporting nation. We see this every weekend when thousands of young Australians take part in sporting activities across many codes. The Salvation Army is calling for a re-think about where alcohol fits into this culture.”

More than 70% (72.1%) believe the alcohol industry’s self-regulatory advertising scheme should end.

The use of social media as an advertising medium to reach those under 25 years is a concern for 78% of people and 70.3% believe the amount of advertising in general encourages under 25s to drink more.

 “We see – every day – the extensive damage that alcohol often causes to individuals and families,” Byrne said.

“We want to see Australians empowered to make smart choices about alcohol use. We are deeply concerned that the high level of alcohol promotion and advertising has a negative impact on those choices.”

Last year 12 of the country’s top sporting organisations, including The Football Federation of Australia and Netball Australia, agreed to ban booze sponsorship to access $25m in government funding.

But the move is yet to trigger a similar shift in some of Australia’s biggest codes such as the AFL which counts beer brand Carlton Draught as a major sponsor.

For more on this topic see below:

• End of Alcohol of ads at the footy?
• Is the sports alcohol ban sustainable?
• War of words over alcohol advertising

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