More Americans than ever don't drink alcohol, poll finds. What's behind shift?
At the same time, a record-high share of Americans believe consuming alcohol, even in moderation, is unhealthy.
The results come from Gallup's Consumption Habits survey, conducted July 7-21 with 1,002 U.S. adults.
In the survey, 54% of respondents said they sometimes drink wine, beer or liquor, marking the lowest such figure since 1939, the first year Gallup asked Americans about their drinking habits.
It continues a recent trend of declining alcohol consumption, with the share of drinkers standing at 58% in 2024, 62% in 2023 and 67% in 2022.
In contrast, for most of the past eight decades, this figure has remained above 60%. It reached a high of 71% in 1976.
When the latest results were broken down by demographic groups, some notable differences emerged.
Men were more likely than women to report drinking — 57% vs. 51% — and white respondents were more prone to drink than respondents of color — 56% vs. 52%.
Similarly, there were slight generational differences. Among adults 55 and older, 56% reported drinking alcohol, while 50% of 18- to 34-year-olds said the same.
Democrats were also significantly more likely to consume alcohol than Republicans — 61% vs. 46%. This is a relatively new phenomenon, as the share of GOP respondents who drink fell 19 points since 2023, while the share of drinking Democrats only fell by 3 points.
For the first time, a majority of respondents, 53%, now say drinking in moderation — defined as up to two drinks per day — is bad for health. Meanwhile, 37% said it makes no difference, and 6% said it is good for health.
The findings reflect a continuing trend of more Americans viewing drinking as unhealthy. In 2024, 45% said alcohol is bad for health, up from 39% in 2023 and 28% in 2018.
Young Americans were also significantly more likely than their older counterparts to view moderate drinking as detrimental.
In the survey, which has a margin of error of 4 percentage points, 66% of 18- to 34-year-olds said moderate drinking is bad for health. Meanwhile, 48% of those 55 and older said the same.
Similarly, women were more likely than men to say limited drinking is unhealthy — 60% vs. 47%. And Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say the same — 58% vs. 44%.
The results come as emerging medical guidance indicates that drinking alcohol — even in moderate amounts — indeed poses health risks.
The U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting drinking to one or two servings per day. But, this advice is expected to be removed and replaced with a more general warning, according to a June report from Reuters, which notes that limited alcohol consumption has been linked to higher risks of certain types of cancer.
'The continuation of these trends may hinge on whether recent pronouncements about drinking's risks are the final word on the subject, similar to how the U.S. surgeon general's warnings about tobacco in the 1960s marked the start of a long-term decline in smoking,' Gallup concluded.
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