Americans are drinking less in 2021

Alcohol consumption in the US is down by 5% this year compared to figures recorded in 2019.

Global analytics firm Gallup has tracked the drinking habits of Americans each year since 1939, with the exception of 2020, as lockdowns induced by the Covid-19 pandemic potentially disrupted consumption.

This year, 60% of US adults reported drinking spirits, wine or beer, compared to 65% in 2019.

Gallup also noted that people who do imbibe are cutting back. After monitoring the number of drinks Americans say they have had over the course of seven days, the firm found an average of 3.6, dropping from four in 2019.

Diving deeper into demographics, the new figures show that American men register higher drinking rates than women, with 63% of men imbibing versus 57% of women.

Meanwhile, 70% of adults aged 35-54 report alcohol use, compared to 60% of Americans aged 18-34 and 52% of those aged 55 and older.

Seventy-two percent of college graduates say they drink alcohol, while 54% of people who did not graduate report drinking.

Spirits on the rise

According to Gallup’s findings, beer is still the most popular alcoholic drink in America, with 39% of imbibers claiming it as their beverage of choice.

Nearly a third (31%) prefer wine, and 27% choose liquor.

However, liquor has seen a general upward trend, especially in the past five years. It reached an all-time high in 2019, when it was preferred by 29% of drinkers.

Earlier this year, IWSR Drinks Market Analysis predicted that the total beverage alcohol category will increase by 2.9% in volume in 2021, with spirits volume sales set to grow by 0.6% globally.