A survey among US college students has found that Apple's iconic iPod music player is more popular than beer.

The news was delivered in the most recent study by Student Monitor, a US organisation which reports on a number of student-based surveys and studies carried out at US universities.

Student Monitor asked participants to rate various items as 'in'. The list covered items as diverse as text messaging, downloading music and bar hopping. 

The iPod topped the list with a 73 per cent approval rating from the 1,200 students questioned. Apple's player won the affections of only 59 per cent last year.

But this year, 'drinking beer' also had digital competition from social networking site Facebook, which held joint second place as most popular activity with 71 per cent of the vote. 

Drinking beer has only been knocked from the top spot once in the 18 years the survey has been conducted, Eric Weil, a managing partner at Student Monitor, told Associated Press.

In 1997 the internet proved to be most popular item with the student population.