What alcoholic beverage do people like to drink? Well Gallup conducted its annual Consumption Habits poll and the verdict is in. Jeffrey M. Jones summarizes the survey results on behalf of Gallup (see here).
A majority of American’s drink alcoholic beverages, with 63% percent of survey respondents since 1939 historically indicating that they drink occasionally. The following table summarizes the survey’s preferred drink by age in 1992-1994 and 2012-2013:
| % Beer | % Wine | % Liquor | |
| 18 to 29 Year Olds | |||
| 1992-1994 |
71 |
14 |
13 |
| 2012-2013 |
41 |
24 |
28 |
| Change |
(30) |
10 |
15 |
| 30 to 49 Year Olds | |||
| 1992-1994 |
48 |
31 |
17 |
| 2012-2013 |
43 |
29 |
24 |
| Change |
(5) |
(2) |
7 |
| 50+ | |||
| 1992-1994 |
28 |
37 |
30 |
| 2012-2013 |
29 |
46 |
19 |
| Change |
1 |
9 |
(11) |
Although beer is the number one choice of 18 to 29 year olds, this group has drastically moved away from beer in the past decade.
Some other interesting facts from the survey are as follows:
- Americans who drink generally do so on a semi-frequent basis. Thirty-five percent report having had a drink in the last 24 hours and another 29% in the past week.
- Beer drinkers are slightly more likely to say they have had a drink more recently with 71% reporting having had a drink in the past week, compared with 63% of wine drinkers and 55% of liquor drinkers.
- Drinkers on average report consuming 3.8 alcoholic drinks in the past week.
- Twenty-one percent of drinkers say they sometimes drink more than they should.
- Twenty-nine percent of all Americans say drinking has been a cause of trouble in their family.
