BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
Only 54 percent of Americans say they drink alcohol, according to a recent Gallup poll. This is the lowest figure in the poll’s 85-year history. It’s a one-point drop from the previous low in 1958, and a stark shift from 1978, when 71 percent of Americans reported drinking. Experts say the dip may reflect growing public awareness about the health risks of alcohol, even in moderation.
From “safe” to suspect: the evolving science on alcohol
“For quite some time, there’s been this heavy focus on the effects of heavy drinking or binge drinking,” said Sarah Dermody, a psychology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. But in recent years, research on moderate drinking (once thought to be beneficial, especially red wine) has been reexamined.
Scientists now caution that those early studies showed correlation, not causation. People who don’t drink may have preexisting conditions that affect health outcomes, while moderate drinkers may enjoy other protective factors. Once studies controlled for those variables, researchers found that “any amount of alcohol can have negative effects on health,” Dermody said, including elevated risk of cancer, anxiety, and depression.
Young adults are leading the shift
The decline is especially pronounced among young adults. Just 50 percent of Americans aged 18 to 34 reported drinking, compared to 56 percent of those 35 and older. Even more telling: 66 percent of young adults said drinking in moderation is harmful, while only about half of older adults agreed.
“They grew up with that safe-level messaging, whereas a lot of us did not,” said Sara McMullin, a psychology professor at Webster University. She also pointed to the cultural rise of “Dry January,” “Sober October,” and the explosion of mocktails and alcohol-free beer as proof that “it’s more socially acceptable not to drink than it once was.”
McMullin notes that alcohol is becoming less central to American social life. This is especially true for younger people, who tend to gather in-person less often than older generations. “Alcohol can be perceived as something that’s more of a luxury and not a necessity,” she said, adding that the job market and high cost of living also shape behavior.
A gender gap in drinking behavior
While the Gallup poll didn’t explore income or race, it did highlight a sharp gender divide. Women’s alcohol use dropped 11 percentage points from 2023 to 2024, while men’s dropped five points.
Gallup also found that 44 percent of women preferred wine, compared to 14 percent of men. More than half of men preferred beer, compared to just 23 percent of women. Dermody noted that alcohol is more socially integrated into male-dominated spaces like sports. McMullin added that men may view beer as more socially acceptable, while women may feel similarly about wine.
Social norms, stress response styles, and health awareness may all factor in. “Women tend to be more health-conscious and might turn to their social network when stressed,” McMullin said. “Men may hold in their emotions and use alcohol to cope.”
Are Americans switching to cannabis instead?
Gallup noted that people don’t appear to be replacing alcohol with marijuana, reporting that cannabis use has remained relatively steady over the past four years.
But Gail D’Onofrio, professor of medicine and public health at Yale, disagrees. She cited the federal government’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which found that marijuana use has risen among adults over 26 since 2021, though it has declined among 18- to 25-year-olds.
D’Onofrio also warned that messaging about marijuana is more difficult than alcohol. “One kind of knows what a standard drink is,” she said. “The problem I have with cannabis is I can’t tell you how much to take. I can’t tell you about what’s in a gummy.”
Still, she agrees that alcohol consumption will likely continue to decline as the public becomes more informed.
Dermody offered a word of caution: “I would just be cautious to call it a trend or a shift until we have a few more of these polls that show that it either continues to decline or is maintained at this level.”
