Alcohol consumption hits 90-year low

For the poll, ReconMR conducted telephone interviews from July 7 to 21 with a random sample of 1,002 adults.

ReconMR found that 54% of Americans said they drink alcohol as opposed to completely abstaining, marking the lowest number Gallup has seen since it first started tracking alcohol consumption in the United States in 1939.

From 1997 to 2023, at least 60% of Americans reported drinking alcohol. That number dropped to 62% in 2023 and 58% in 2024 before hitting 54% this year. Before the most recent poll, the rate of alcohol consumption has been below 60% fewer than 10 times, including at 58% in 1939 and 55% in 1958. The highest alcohol consumption rate seen in the poll so far has been 68% and 71%, recorded between 1974 and 1981.

The decline in drinking has been more pronounced among women than men. Alcohol consumption in women dropped 11 percentage points since 2023 to 51%. Among men, it dropped five points down to 57%, Gallup found. Alcohol consumption also declined 11 percentage points among non-Hispanic white adults but has remained fairly steady at around 50% among people of color, the lowest of the racial groups surveyed.

Young adults were already found to be less likely to report drinking alcohol 10 years ago, but that trend has accelerated, falling from 59% in 2023 to 50% now.

Gallup also found that declines in alcohol consumption don't appear to be caused by people shifting to mood-altering substances like marijuana, which is now legal in roughly half of U.S. states. While marijuana usage is higher now than it was a decade ago, Gallup has found it's been fairly steady over the past four years and doesn't appear to be a factor in people choosing to forgo alcohol.

In addition, Gallup found for the first time that a majority of Americans (53%) said that drinking in moderation, or "one or two drinks a day," is bad for one's health. Meanwhile, 6% say it's good for one's health and 37% said they believe it makes no difference. Gallup also found that women are more likely than men to view moderate drinking as unhealthy (60% compared to 47%, respectively).

As young adults drink less alcohol, their perception that alcohol is bad for one's health is also increasing. In 2001, around 30% of young and middle-aged adults believed moderate drinking was harmful, while 21% of older adults agreed.

Now, 66% of adults ages 18 to 34 say moderate drinking is bad for one's health compared to 50% of those ages 35 to 54 and 48% of those ages 55 and older.

Among those who do drink, consumption rates are dropping. Just under a quarter of drinkers said they've had a drink in the past 24 hours, marking a record low in the poll, while 40% said it's been more than a week since they last had an alcoholic drink, the highest percentage seen since 2000.

Factoring in every respondent who said they drink alcohol, Gallup found that the average number of drinks consumed over the past week is 2.8, the lowest figure the poll has seen since 1996 when it started tracking average drink consumption. That number is down from an average of 3.8 drinks a year ago and around 4.0 drinks over the seven years prior.

In addition, the World Health Organization has noted there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption that doesn't affect health and CDC has warned that drinking in moderation can "increase your overall risks of death and chronic disease."

In January, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said that alcoholic beverages should carry warning labels about the link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk, similar to the warning on a pack of cigarettes. In a report, Murthy said alcohol use had been directly tied to at least seven types of cancers, including mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, breast (in women), liver, and colon and rectum.

Sara McMullin, a psychology professor at Webster University, noted that a lot of middle-aged and older adults "grew up with that safe-level messaging" regarding moderate alcohol consumption, "whereas a lot of us did not."

McMullin added that it's more socially acceptable to not drink than it used to be, noting the popularity of challenges like Dry January and Sober October, as well as the rise of mocktails and alcohol-free beer.

McMullin also said that the price of alcohol could be playing a role.

"Alcohol can be perceived as something that's more of a luxury and not a necessity," she said. "So that could be another factor that's likely bringing down the rate of drinking across generations, especially in younger people who are struggling with the job market."