Celebrities beat advertisers in hold over young women

Queen among those celebrities holding sway is Victoria Beckham, who was chosen by 35% of those who took part in the poll. Hot on her heels is 'X-Factor' winner, Leona Lewis who polled 32%.

Not far behind the uber celebrity and singer Lewis are more controversial figures, who are as associated with drugs as their chosen careers with Kate Moss and Amy Winehouse polling strongly with 29% and 23% respectively.

The prominence of women such as Moss and Winehouse, each associated with drug scandals, is perhaps no surprise when almost two-fifths or 38% saying that the media influences their attitudes to alcohol and drugs.

This is well above the influence of teachers, which was put at 30%, and far above advertisers who influence 7%. As well as drugs and alcohol, 19% say the media influences their opinions about sex and relationships while teachers influence 15% and advertisers 2%.

By contrast, almost 59% say Channel 4 TV programmes like 'Skins' and 'Hollyoaks' help young people understand issues affecting people their age.

When it comes to alcohol, politicians reach just 4% and sex and relationships just 1%. There is more bad news for politicians, with a mere 2% of girls saying MPs influence girls their age while 44% admitted they could name more WAGS [wives and girlfriends of professional footballers] than female politicians.

However, despite this celebrity lure, with a quarter of respondents saying they influence the way girls think they should look, celebrities actually have a negative influence on the way girls view the world, with three in five or 59% believing they make girls their age less well-informed.

Lizzi Fricker, peer educator at Girlguiding UK said: "A large proportion of girls taking part in the survey were aged 15-17, which can be a very vulnerable time when advice and guidance about difficult issues is needed most. Our polling shows that more traditional sources of information -- for example from politicians, ads or teachers -- are just not that effective in reaching today's girls and young women. Because friends and peers are so important, Girlguiding UK runs its own peer education programme, Get Wise, that supports us to educate each other about issues such as binge drinking, drugs, body image and mental health."

The internet also plays a large part in the lives of young women, with three-quarters using it daily, but placing less trust in it than newspapers or TV.

Three-quarters of girls say they use the internet every day, and 80% say girls their age are more likely to get their information from the internet than from newspapers. Yet despite their love of life online, only 55% trust what they read or watch on the internet, compared with 77% citing newspapers. The most trusted medium is television news, which was named by nine out of 10 girls.

However, exactly what they are getting from TV news is unclear because half believe most girls their age don't bother to stay informed about world events.

Despite their love of things online, they have an attachment to print as well, with just 23% thinking newspapers would no longer exist in 20 years and 55% saying they would read a daily newspaper aimed at young people.

Liz Burnley, chief guide, said: "Understanding how our members consume their news and form their opinions helps Girlguiding UK support them in making the many different and difficult decisions girls face today. Female friends play a very influential role in this process which is why our varied programme provided in a safe girl-only environment, is designed to help our young members develop confidence in their individual views and opinions -- giving them the self-assurance to make the best choices and decisions for them."

The survey, which investigates different influences on how girls form their views and opinions, was conducted among members of Girlguiding UK aged between 10 and 25.

Girlguiding UK is the UK's largest voluntary youth organisation, with around 580,000 members. The organisation runs Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.