More Americans appear to be prioritizing their health and wellness as a new poll released this week found that 54% of U.S. adults say they consume alcohol — the lowest percentage in the survey's 90-year history.
According to Gallup, at least six in ten Americans reported drinking alcoholic beverages from 1997 to 2023. That figure then fell to 58% in 2024, before dropping an additional four percentage points this year amid the growing belief that even moderate alcohol consumption can have negative effects on one's health.
Generational divide
Young adults to report drinking alcohol has already been on the decline for the past decade, but the trend has only accelerated in recent years, with the rate dropping from 59% in 2023 to 50% today. And while the drinking rate for Americans between 18 and 34 years of age is below that of older adults, a fewer percentage of people over the age of 35 are also claiming to drink when compared to two years ago.
Gender divide
Gallup data shows that both men and women reported drinking at about the same rate in 2023 (62%). But today, just 51% of women reported drinking, compared to 57% of men. Across all U.S. adults, that marks an 8% drop over the past two years.
Is pubbing partisan?
According to the survey, there is a political divide when it comes to drinking. Over the past two years, Republicans reporting they drink fell 19 percentage points from 65% in 2023 to 46% today.
RELATED STORY | How much alcohol do you drink? Why it's important to answer honestly when the doctor asks
Democrats, meanwhile, also saw a decrease in those claiming to drink — though much smaller — from 64% two years ago to just over 60% in 2025.
What about those who do drink?
Gallup reports a record-low (24%) number of American adults who drink say they've had a drink in the past 24 hours, while four in ten say it's been more than week since they last consumed an alcoholic beverage — the highest percentage in 25 years.
"Factoring in all drinkers, including those who did not drink in the past week, the average number of drinks consumed over the past seven days is 2.8, the lowest figure Gallup has recorded since 1996," the pollster stated. "This is down from 3.8 drinks a year ago and closer to 4.0 drinks over the seven years prior to that. The highest average number since Gallup has tracked this is 5.1 drinks per week, recorded in 2003."
Liquor, wine or beer?
While beer is still the alcoholic beverage of choice for U.S. adults, the percentage of people who prefer it over wine or liquor has fallen from nearly 50% in 1992 to just 38% today. Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who prefer wine has dropped to 29%, and three in ten people prefer liquor — one percentage point shy of the historic record of 31% in 2023.
Recap
Americans' drinking habits are continuing to shift as more people consider it to have a detrimental impact on their health. After decades of relative steadiness, Gallup found that the proportion of U.S. adults who drink alcohol has fallen for three consecutive years.
"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 reported. "The trajectory of U.S. drinking could also depend on how much doctors, health authorities and policymakers reinforce the message that no amount of alcohol is risk-free."
