Nearly half of both generations, 47% Gen Z drinkers and 48% Millennial drinkers, consumed alcohol to relax. Slightly more Gen Z drinkers indicated that alcohol “helps me have a good time,” 49%, and “gives me a buzz,” 45%, compared to Millennial drinkers, 38 and 37%, respectively. Gen Z consumers aged 18 to 24 are more likely to have made or purchased suboxone mixed with alcohol a mocktail, 33% of those surveyed, than other age groups and more likely to buy a mocktail at a restaurant than older generations. As Americans hang fresh calendars and debut New Year’s resolutions, some will swear off alcohol, whether as part of a “Dry January” challenge or a longer-term goal. Here are 10 key facts about Americans’ behaviors and attitudes when it comes to drinking alcohol and how these have changed over time, drawn from surveys and sales data. These included some major Southern population centers, including Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Tampa.
Cosmetics consumer behavior in the U.S.
Reasons as to why consumers participate in Dry January include “health benefits…whether that is about calorie control and weight management or just feeling better overall.” Other reasons for decreasing alcohol consumption are to save money and a change in social life. Underage drinking among U.S. teens has declined over the last 20 years, according to the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey. In 2023, 46% of 12th graders said they had consumed alcohol in the 12 months prior to the survey, as did 31% of 10th graders and 15% of eighth graders. These shares are down from 2001, when 73% of 12th graders, 64% of 10th graders and 42% of eighth graders said they had drunk alcohol in the previous year.
Prevalence of Past-Month Drinking
Adults ages 35 to 54, those with a college degree, those with household incomes of $100,000 or more, and those who attend church less than once a week are all more likely than other Americans to drink alcohol. If you or someone you love is struggling with a drinking problem or the use of other substances, the personal price you pay can be severe. Our team of treatment experts and alcohol and levaquin advisors can help you evaluate your options so that you can choose ethical and effective care. To meet our team of clinicians or learn more about our resources and programs, explore our website today.
What some suggest should be the fourth category of alcoholic beverages, sales of ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages increased from “7 percent in 2019 to 11 percent for the first half of 2021,” with several sources indicating that the RTD market will continue to grow. In fact, the market share for hard seltzer decreased slightly between 2020 and 2021 due to “increased competition from crossover categories like RTDs.” While 66% of beer sales were attributed to “large, non-craft domestic” companies in 2021, imports accounted for 21% and craft beer at 13%.
Eastern U.S. winery growth
The report highlighted trends in each category and offered insights into where the industry is headed in the near future. As reported in the 2022 Silicon Valley Bank State of the Wine Industry report, data provided by SipSource, which “tracks both on- and how to ween off alcohol off-premise sales by volume,” for the period of September 2020 through September 2021, approximately 55% of wine was sold in 750 mL bottles. This was a 3.6% decrease in the growth rate over the previous 12-month period. Compared to wine and spirits, non-alcoholic beer “dominates” the no-alcohol category. Of the non-alcoholic beer available, non-alcoholic craft claims 28% of the share, and non-alcoholic domestic premium has a 16% share.
While Gallup data did not report ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage consumption, Nielson reports that “RTDs over-index with women, Millennials and Gen Z consumers, and more importantly, the category resonates with a more racially and ethnically diverse consumer base relative to conventional beverage alcohol, especially wine and beer.” Consumers are looking for a beverage made with natural ingredients and coloring for the overall beverage category. Whether for reasons of quantity or quality, drinking can get expensive quickly.
- Survey data comes from Gallup and the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future Survey.
- Industry members should not rely solely on generation to build a likely buyer profile; rather, it is essential to consider a consumer’s attitudes (i.e., what they think) and behaviors (i.e., what they do) when developing a promotional strategy.
- In 2021, Gallup, Inc. reported that 60% of U.S. adults drank alcoholic beverages, which decreased from 65% as reported in 2019.
- Seventy-six percent of U.S. wine trade members who responded to a Wine Opinions survey “at the end of 2022” expect at least “some growth” in the “better for you” wine category, compared to 64% and 61% who expect the same for “zero alcohol” wine and “lower alcohol” wine, respectively.
People Reveal Their Average Weekly Spend On Alcohol
A closer look at the “most popular” white varietal, Chardonnay (nearly 16% of the market share for those reported), and the “most popular” red varietal, Cabernet sauvignon (nearly 14%), revealed that the growth rate for these two decreased by 6.9 and 7.0%, respectively. Other formats that decreased in growth during this period included 500 mL, 1 L, and larger containers. Formats that experienced an increase in growth rate were 300 mL (28.3%), 187 mL (6.2%), 250 mL (5.8%), and other smaller containers. However, the combined market share is significantly lower than the market share of traditional 750 mL and larger containers. Of course, I can’t be representative of every single person in my age bracket. So, I took to asking some peers — all of whom are in their 20s and 30s, and all of whose names I’ve changed — about theiraverage weekly spend on alcohol.
How has spending changed?
Hop water is a “carbonated beverage made with hops,” which “tastes a lot like beer, but contains zero alcohol, as well as zero calories, carbs, sugar or gluten.” The “seltzer boom brought variety and flavor to customers,” which encourages them to be more willing to try new flavors in other beverage categories. Last fall, Wine Opinions’ consumer panel members were asked to indicate a) “the varietals they use to buy often, but no buy seldom, if ever” and b) “any varieties they now buy often, but used to buy infrequently, if ever.” Some of the net positive and negative changes reported are below. From another report, compared to the first half of 2021, the volume of premium-and-above Prosecco grew 8% in the first half of 2022. Other common answers include that they do not like drinking (16%); it is unhealthy (14%); they are afraid of the consequences (13%); and they had a bad past experience with alcohol (13%).
Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. Hasegawa, the following are examples of beer and food pairings based on the beer’s flavor profile. Industry members should not rely solely on generation to build a likely buyer profile; rather, it is essential to consider a consumer’s attitudes (i.e., what they think) and behaviors (i.e., what they do) when developing a promotional strategy. Additionally, all individuals who were born between 1997 and 2012 and categorized as Gen Z do not act or think in the same way, but world/national events are likely to have had an impact on their personalities. The net positive change for Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Blends was 26% and 33%, respectively, for men and 10% and 40% for women.
Looked at another way, 17.4% of all alcohol consumed by Americans in 2021 came from wine, up from 12.0% in 1971. The share coming from beer fell from 44.6% to 42.3% during the same period, while the share coming from spirits fell from 43.5% to 40.3%. Their prominence is driven by consumers’ continual search for new and exciting products. “When we ask RTD consumers what factors influence their beverage alcohol purchase decision, the #1 response we hear is ‘flavor’,” says Rand. “People are eager to try new brands, especially those that offer a unique or interesting flavor. While this is particularly prevalent with RTDs, we’re also seeing significant growth in flavors in beer and spirits as well.”
To test this hypothesis, we analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey, a national study of how families and individuals spend their hard-earned income. Our results reveal current and historical trends in alcohol expenditures, and which demographics burn the most cash on getting buzzed. Experts say we should see more craft beers, including hazy IPAs, lower alcohol IPAs, lagers, sour beers, rose beers, and fresh hop beers.
The report also stated that consumers’ thirst for alcoholic beverages is not slowing down as the country returns to normal. It is accelerating with year-to-date 2021 performance trending higher than 2019, with projections to end at +3.8% in volume. As reported by the DISCUS for 2021, the top five spirits by revenue growth were vodka (4.9%), tequila/mezcal (30.1%), American whiskey (6.7%), Brandy & Cognac (13.1%), and cordials (15.2%). While the growth rate for vodka was less than that of the other four liquors, sales by volume accounted for 78.1 million 9-Liter cases. In contrast, the sales volume for cocktails/RTDs, the next largest category, was 36.6 million cases.
