Since the 1930s, Gallup has examined the USA’s relationship with alcohol, tracking drinking habits with its Consumption Habits survey. Last week, Gallup released results from this year’s survey. Those of us who pay attention already know that the consumption of alcohol—any sort of alcohol—has fallen in recent years, so the survey results shouldn’t surprise us. Still, the data is worth looking at, and though it is not necessarily good news, it may not be so bad as some people fear. I will keep my observations short and sweet, examining just a few things the Gallup survey revealed.
Almost half of us don’t drink at all, kind of
This year, the poll revealed that an increasing number of our fellow citizens choose to abstain from alcohol. Kind of. The percentage of people who say they drink alcohol is the lowest since Gallup started tracking this stuff in 1939, but not by much. As the graph below shows, the number of people who say, “Yes, I use alcohol” has fallen to 54%. Interestingly, looking into the survey’s deeper detail, 44% responded “No, abstainer” and 1% responded that they do not know or otherwise refused to say.
Save for a few anomalous dips, the percentage of people who’ve reported that they drink alcohol has held pretty steady since the mid-1970s. For the past 50 years, it’s hovered in the low 60% range, so dropping to 54% is not exactly falling off a cliff. Of course, if we don’t bounce back and see that number sneak back up in the coming years, that’s a different conversation.
- On average, over the 86-year life of this survey, the number of Americans who report using alcohol is about 62%.
- The percentage of Americans who report using alcohol has never been higher than 71% (1976-78). Look at the graph: the mid-70s were anomalously high. The graph shows that unexpected bounces, both high and low, are not unusual.
- This year’s 54% may represent an anomalous dip, similar to 1989, when it dipped to 56%. Another anomalous, unexplainable dip happened in 1958, when it hit 55%. After both of those dips, we bounced right back.
- The number was 67% in 2022. Perhaps that number was anomalously high because of the pandemic, and that makes today’s number look more drastic.
- Not blowing sunshine. Yes, 54% is a low number.
If not a statistical anomaly that will correct itself in time, the downward slide since 2022 could be a hangover symptom from the pandemic. We’ve all heard the rhetorical question: “Did we not learn anything from COVID?” I learned that I prefer Irish whiskey over other types of whiskey. I fancied myself a Bourbon drinker, but pandemic-born isolation taught me otherwise. My point is, many people drank a lot during the pandemic, maybe too much, and yes, we did learn something from COVID. Just as it drove us to drink, perhaps it drove us to abstain.
Experience not education
Especially among younger adults, a higher number of people now tell Gallup that they recognize that alcohol negatively impacts human health. Though that sentiment is valid in an absolute sense, the survey left little room for nuance. It provided three choices: moderate drinking is good for your health, bad for your health, or has no impact on your health. Likely, when considering the impact of alcohol on health, our big human brains have the capacity to understand that the impact of 2 to 3 drinks per day is different than 2 to 3 drinks per month. That said, there’s no denying that an increasing number of people see alcohol as part of an unhealthy lifestyle.
This could also relate to the pandemic and personal experiences. Many people gained weight or developed other physical problems because of excessive pandemic-fueled consumption. Maybe the 18- to 34-year-olds put two and two together from what they witnessed or experienced.
It is unlikely that the younger generation was simply better educated on the health impacts of alcohol. They were likely educated by what they saw and experienced. Personal experience may teach the new generation that moderation is the key, that alcohol can be part of a generally healthy lifestyle, or it may teach them something else. Time will tell.
Action item. I love seeing brewery taprooms host run clubs, bicycle clubs, group yoga classes, and other wellness-focused activities. Craft beer is a wholesome product compared to many other things. It is not polluted with unnatural additives, artificial flavors, and other garbage. Perhaps craft beer needs to lean into the idea that it provides the healthiest choice for those looking to imbibe.
Omnibibulous is as omnibibulous does
Beer remains the most common alcohol beverage choice among Americans, though not by as wide a margin as years past. Today’s tipplers drink everything: they are omnibibulous. Once upon a time, a person’s alcohol consumption was quite often confined to one type of beverage. The graph below does not directly illustrate the point, but I think it is safe to assume that the coming together of the three lines suggests that people are less fiercely devoted to just one type of alcoholic beverage. It is growing harder for people to answer the question in such absolute terms.
Even the most extreme beer fans are no longer exclusively dedicated to beer. The craft beer industry needs to recognize this. The course of action may seem unclear, but one thing is for sure: if a brewery’s taproom does not offer options beyond beer, it is missing out on a business opportunity. If a taproom provides something other than its own beer, it is not waving a white flag. It’s a wise decision.
Action item. Consider this scenario. Four friends decide to go out for some Sunday afternoon social drinking. The first person suggests a brewery taproom. The second and third people agree with that a taproom sounds good. The fourth person says that they do not drink beer. Unless you offer something other than beer, you’ve just lost all four customers. And don’t phone it in. Offer something good. Serving crappy cider or meh wine makes it look like you do not value quality. Whatever you serve should be of the same quality as your beer.
Digesting the data
I don’t think we should use this kind of data to belabor some pessimistic point about how the sky is falling. Instead, we should learn from it. Yes, consumer habits are changing, but don’t forget that not too many years ago, the emergence of craft beer represented a change in consumer habits. It’s all about the evolution of the industry. The fittest will survive. Craft breweries are better suited to adapt than the vast, monolithic alcohol empires still dominating the industry. Shoulders back, chin up, soldier on.
Check out the complete result of Gallup’s Consumption Habits survey.
