Alcohol spending in bars and pubs falls 9.8%

UK consumers are spending significantly less money on alcohol in bars and pubs but more for home consumption, new research shows.

UK consumers are spending less money on alcoholic drinks in bars and pubs, new research has revealed

The Statistics on Alcohol report by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, showed that while household spending on alcoholic drinks in the UK increased by 1.3% from 2009 to 2013, the amount spent on drinking outside the home dropped by 9.8% over the same period.

The intake of alcohol since 2009 has seen a downward trend, falling by 7.5% in 2012 to 9.4 grams per person per day, while household spending on alcoholic drinks while eating out has declined by 22% from 2009 to 2012.

In terms of affordability, the research revealed that alcohol in 2013 was almost 61% more affordable than it was in 1980 when compared against the price changes of other household products, despite the fact that between 1980 and 2013, the price of alcohol rose by nearly 24% more than retail prices generally.

The figures suggest that while spending on eating out has experienced overall growth, the amount being consumed has declined recently.

When it comes to the types of alcohol being consumed, just 22% of men questioned had drunk spirits on the day they had consumed the most alcohol in the last week, compared to 62% who said they had drunk normal strength beer, lager, cider or shandy, and 33% who said they had drunk wine.

In comparison, the percentage of women who had drunk spirits on the day they had consumed the most alcohol in the last week was slightly higher at 26%, while 64% reported drinking wine and less than a fifth (19%) said they had drunk normal strength beer, lager, cider or shandy.