The latest Gallup poll of U.S. drinkers found that consumption habits have remained “relatively stable,” the firm reported Monday.
Gallup’s “Consumption Habits” poll, conducted from July 3-27, found that 62% of Americans say they drink alcoholic beverages, hovering around the 63% average the poll has returned since 1939.
However, those trends are down from the poll’s peak of 71% recorded between 1974 and 1981. It also marked a year-over-year decline from the 67% recorded in 2022.
The poll backs up previously reported claims that bev-alc consumption habits haven’t fluctuated much for more than two decades, such as those from National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones. Jones has repeatedly shut down headlines that claim consumers are drinking more than ever, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The profile of those with higher drinking rates in 2023, per Gallup’s poll results, is middle-aged adults with higher incomes, who are college-educated and attend church less than once a week.
By age group:
- 58% of 18-34 year olds consume alcoholic beverages; 41% abstain;
- 66% of 35-54 year olds consume alcoholic beverages; 34% abstain;
- 61% of 55 year olds and up consume alcoholic beverages; 38% abstain.
The majority of adults with household incomes of $100,000 or more (79%) said they consume bev-alc products; 21% do not drink.
Fifty-eight percent of adults in the $40,000 to $100,000 income bracket said they consume alcoholic beverages, while 42% do not consume. The disparity between drinkers and non-drinkers was closest among those making under $40,000 annually, at 53% compared to 47%.
The majority of college graduates (74%) said they consume alcohol, while 25% said they refrained. The ratio was closer among non-college graduates, with 56% saying they consume alcoholic beverages and 44% saying they do not drink.
Gallup also looked at church attendance, finding the lowest rate of consumption (48%) among weekly church goers, while the majority (52%)) said they do not consume bev-alc products.
Meanwhile, drinkers who attend church nearly weekly/monthly (65%) and seldom/never (67%) said they consume alcoholic beverages.
Why Don’t Americans Drink?
The top reason respondents (24%) said they didn’t imbibe was they had no desire or want to drink.
Other reasons for not drinking included:
- They don’t like it or don’t care for it (16%);
- It’s unhealthy (14%);
- They’re afraid of the consequences (13%);
- They had bad past experiences with alcohol (13%);
- They’re unable to drink due to poor health (11%);
- It goes against their religious beliefs (10%);
- Their age (4%);
- It’s too expensive (3%);
- They have children (2%);
- They don’t believe in drinking (1%);
- They weren’t raised to drink alcoholic beverages (1%).
Majority Say They Had a Drink in Last Week
Of those who do consume alcohol, 69% reported having a drink in the last week, while 32% said their last drink was in the last 24 hours, and 37% reported drinking two to seven days ago.
Meanwhile, 32% said their last drink was a week ago. The average for U.S. consumers was four drinks in the past week, which was similar to the average since 1996.
Around 16% of Adults Struggling with Alcohol Use
Around 19% of U.S. adults said they sometimes drink too much. Those trends are in line with recent trends but below the 23% average since 1978.
Gallup said the average of nondrinkers who experienced past problems with alcohol (13%) combined with those who reported overconsuming (19%), suggested 16% of U.S. adults are struggling with alcohol abuse or have in the past.
Men (21%) are more likely than women (16%) to say they overindulge in alcohol. Younger adults under 35 (22%) and those between 35 and 54 (20%) are more likely to drink to excess than adults over 55 (14%). Around a quarter of adults with an annual income of at least $100,000 are more likely to drink too much compared to 10% of those making under $40,000 annually.
Beer Top Choice in the U.S.
Beer remains the most popular alcoholic beverage, with 37% of drinkers saying they choose beer most often, compared to those who favor liquor (31%) and wine (29%). However, beer’s popularity has waned since the 1990s and early 2000s, when around half of respondents claimed beer as their top choice.
Wine has also trailed off in popularity, with 2023 being the first year its favorability rating dropped under 30%.
Meanwhile, liquor has grown in popularity in recent years, with 2023 marking its highest year of popularity at 31%.
Gallup also noted a few more demographic trends:
- Men (53%) are more than twice as likely as women (22%) to prefer beer;
- Women (44%) are three times as likely as men (15%) to favor wine;
- Younger consumers prefer beer and liquor;
- Older drinkers favor beer and wine;
- A plurality of college grads drink wine most often;
- A similar share without college degree favor beer;
- Lower- and middle-income groups prefer beer;
- Upper-income drinkers’ preferences are more divided.