College students who pay less for alcohol drink more, according to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health to appear in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The study also showed that more alcohol promotions, such as sales and selling in bulk quantities, result in increased student drinking.
According to the study, the student drinking rate was higher on campuses where 24-packs of beer were relatively inexpensive at nearby retail outlets.
At UW-Madison, the average cost of a 24-pack of beer from four near-campus liquor stores is approximately $15 and only one of four contacted liquor stores near campus advertises at all. Liquor stores contacted were Riley's Wines of the World, 402 W. Gorham St., Party Port, 2901 University Ave., University Ave. Liquor, 525 University Ave., and Miller Liquor, 2401 University Ave.
Despite the lack of advertising and relatively high cost of beer, local liquor store employees said many of their clients are UW-Madison students.
\Being on campus, our main consumers are students,"" said Andy Beaulieu, employee of Riley's Wines of the World.
In congruence with the study, Natasha Neeley, an employee of the near-campus liquor store Party Port, said advertising in The Onion and the Isthmus has a strong positive effect on sales.
Susan Crowley, director of Policy, Alternatives, Community and Education, a UW-Madison organization that aims to curb and control high risk drinking among students, said she believes advertisements definitely have a strong effect on students.
""I think there are some alcohol images that are very strong and consistent messages to students that are slightly off campus but definitely influence students about their choice of drink,"" she said.
Crowley said the organization does not have an initiative to decrease alcohol advertisements on or near campus.
She also said she is ""pretty pleased with the lack of overt alcohol advertising on the campus,"" citing a large contributor to near-campus alcohol advertising, late night drink specials at bars on weekends, has been eliminated.
