Gen Z: The More Sober Generation

Alcohol consumption per capita in the United States has been up recently. In the 1970s, the amount of alcohol consumed in the country was even higher than today, however. The share of drinkers in the U.S. stood at around 70 percent in that decade, compared to 60 percent today. Generally, the country has far fewer drinkers than many European nations.

Comparing generations, Gen Z seems to have less of an affinity for alcohol, as our graphic with data from Statista Consumer Insights shows. Only between 18 and 20 percent of Americans of legal drinking age and under 28 years old said they regularly drank beer, wine or spirits. Among Millennials who were born between 1980 and 1994, alcohol consumption was much higher – especially for beer and wine, at 31 and 30 percent, respectively, of respondents consuming the beverages regularly.

Older Americans tend to drink less. Figures are comparable with Gen Z consumption patterns for Gen X (born 1965-1979) and the Baby Boomer generation (born 1959-1964). The exception is beer, a favorite among all generations before Gen Z, if not for them. Hard seltzer, an alcoholic drink that has been quite fashionable lately, is popular among Gen Z and Millennials alike if not really among Gen X and Baby Boomers, showing that Gen Z's consumption might not be simply decreasing but rather shifting.