Majority of Americans think alcohol bad for health: poll
The survey found 54 percent of Americans reported they drank alcohol either occasionally or regularly in 2025, down from at least 60 percent recorded between 1997 and 2023.
Those who did say they drank alcohol reported it was in smaller amounts, with the average number of drinks consumed in the last week being 2.8, "the lowest figure Gallup has recorded since 1996," the pollster said on its website.
Attitudes toward alcohol, which Gallup has been tracking since 2001, saw the most significant difference in the poll published this week.
The number of people who consider moderate consumption of alcohol -- up to one or two drinks per day -- to be bad for personal health rose to 53 percent in 2025. For comparison, the figure was 27 percent in the early 2000s.
"Americans' drinking habits are shifting amid the medical world's reappraisal of alcohol's health effects," the pollster noted.
In January, then-US surgeon general Vivek Murthy called for alcohol to be sold with a cancer warning label on its packaging.
"Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer, responsible for about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States," he said in a statement.
"Yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk," he added, underscoring the urgent need for public education.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
13 hours ago
- France 24
Majority of Americans think alcohol bad for health: poll
Pollster Gallup found the number of Americans who said they drink alcohol to be at an all-time low since the poll was first conducted in 1939 -- a few years after the United States ended its prohibition of alcohol. The survey found 54 percent of Americans reported they drank alcohol either occasionally or regularly in 2025, down from at least 60 percent recorded between 1997 and 2023. Those who did say they drank alcohol reported it was in smaller amounts, with the average number of drinks consumed in the last week being 2.8, "the lowest figure Gallup has recorded since 1996," the pollster said on its website. Attitudes toward alcohol, which Gallup has been tracking since 2001, saw the most significant difference in the poll published this week. The number of people who consider moderate consumption of alcohol -- up to one or two drinks per day -- to be bad for personal health rose to 53 percent in 2025. For comparison, the figure was 27 percent in the early 2000s. "Americans' drinking habits are shifting amid the medical world's reappraisal of alcohol's health effects," the pollster noted. In January, then-US surgeon general Vivek Murthy called for alcohol to be sold with a cancer warning label on its packaging. "Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer, responsible for about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States," he said in a statement. "Yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk," he added, underscoring the urgent need for public education.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
Eli Lilly hikes UK price of blockbuster weight loss drug Mounjaro
Drugmaker Eli Lilly said it will raise the price of its blockbuster weight loss drug by up to 170 per cent for customers in the United Kingdom. The US pharmaceutical giant confirmed to Euronews Health that effective September 1, the highest dose of Mounjaro will cost £330 for a month's supply, up from £122 currently. The new price is the list price, or what private providers will pay for the drug. Clinics are expected to raise their prices for patients as a result. The price hike is not expected to affect access for patients who receive Mounjaro through the National Health Service (NHS), a spokesperson for NHS England said. 'The approved list price increase will not affect NHS commissioning of [Mounjaro] in England for eligible people living with obesity, based on clinical priority, or as a treatment for type 2 diabetes,' the spokesperson told Euronews Health. The NHS England spokesperson said patients who get the drug through private doctors should contact their providers. A Lilly spokesperson said the company will work with private doctors to "maintain patient access'. Mounjaro is used to treat obesity, type 2 diabetes, and weight-related health problems in both the UK and the European Union. Rival weight loss jabs Ozempic and Wegovy, made by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, are also available. A Lilly spokesperson said the increase aims to bring Mounjaro's UK price closer to what is paid in other European countries. 'At launch, Lilly agreed to a UK list price that is significantly below the European average to prevent delays in NHS availability,' the spokesperson said. 'With changes in the environment and new clinical evidence supporting the value of Mounjaro, we are now aligning the list price more consistently to ensure fair global contributions to the cost of innovation'. The move comes as US President Donald Trump puts pressure on pharmaceutical companies to lower drug costs for Americans to a level that matches the lowest price offered in other wealthy countries. In May, Trump complained that a 'friend' of his paid significantly less for 'the fat shot' in the UK than in the United States. He later accused European countries of 'freeloading,' saying Americans pay higher prices to cover the cost of new drug development while other wealthy countries benefit. Since then, some drug companies have signaled they will attempt to align prices paid in the US and other countries. The Lilly spokesperson said the Mounjaro price increase will 'address pricing inconsistencies compared to other developed countries, including in Europe'.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
Americans are rethinking alcohol amid concerns over health risks
Fewer Americans are reporting that they drink alcohol amid a growing belief that even moderate alcohol consumption is a health risk, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. A record high percentage of US adults, 53 per cent, now say moderate drinking is bad for their health, up from 28 per cent in 2015. The uptick in doubt about alcohol's benefits is largely driven by young adults – the age group that is most likely to believe drinking 'one or two drinks a day' can cause health hazards – but older adults are also now increasingly likely to think moderate drinking carries risks. As concerns about health impacts rise, fewer Americans are reporting that they drink. The survey finds that 54 per cent of US adults say they drink alcoholic beverages such as liquor, wine or beer. That's lower than at any other point in the past three decades. The findings of the poll, which was conducted in July, indicate that after years of many believing that moderate drinking was harmless – or even beneficial – worries about alcohol consumption are taking hold. According to Gallup's data, even those who consume alcohol are drinking less. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, US government data showed Americans' alcohol consumption was trending up. But other US government surveys have shown a decline in certain types of drinking, particularly among teenagers and young adults. The US is not alone in this trend. European countries, including Belgium, have recorded a decline in alcohol consumption in recent years. This comes alongside a new drumbeat of information about alcohol's risks. While moderate drinking was once thought to have benefits for heart health, health professionals in recent years have pointed to overwhelming evidence that alcohol consumption leads to negative health outcomes and is a leading cause of cancer. Growing scepticism about alcohol's benefits In the past, moderate drinking was thought to have some benefits. That idea came from imperfect studies that largely didn't include younger people and couldn't prove cause and effect. Now the scientific consensus has shifted, and several countries recently lowered their alcohol consumption recommendations. Earlier this year, the outgoing US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, recommended a label on bottles of beer, wine, and liquor that would clearly outline the link between alcohol consumption and cancer. The federal government's current dietary guidelines recommend Americans not drink or, if they do consume alcohol, men should limit themselves to two drinks a day or fewer while women should stick to one or fewer. Gallup's director of US social research, Lydia Saad, said shifting health advice throughout older Americans' lives may be a reason they have been more gradual than young adults to recognise alcohol as harmful. 'Older folks may be a little more hardened in terms of the whiplash that they get with recommendations,' Saad said. 'It may take them a little longer to absorb or accept the information,' she added. 'Whereas, for young folks, this is the environment that they've grown up in. ... In many cases, it would be the first thing young adults would have heard as they were coming into adulthood'. The US government is expected to release new guidelines later this year.
