Gallup: US alcohol consumption remains at record low

Gallup released results of a survey on Americans’ drinking habits.

The main point: The share of U.S. adults 18+ who say they drink alcohol remains at a record-low 54% for the second consecutive year, the lowest dating back to 1939.

• The trend: Self-reported drinking fell over the previous three years, from 62% in 2023 to 58% in 2024 and 54% in 2025.

The details:

• Beliefs about alcohol: 51% of adults believe drinking 1-2 alcoholic beverages a day is bad for one’s health, unchanged from last year’s record high of 53%. It is only the second time since Gallup first asked the question in 2001 that a majority has expressed this view.
• Awareness of studies on health effects: 86% say they have heard at least something about recent studies on long-term health effects of drinking (up from 79% in 2024), including 54% who have heard a great deal or fair amount (up from 49%).
• Drink too much: The percentage who say they sometimes drink too much reached a new low of 13%. Before 2000, more than 20% routinely reported overdrinking.
• Drinks/week: Americans who drink alcohol report having an average of 3.2 drinks in the past week. That’s similar to last year (2.8) but down from prior to that (3.9).
• Demographics: The decline in drinking since 2023 occurred across most demographic groups, including men, women, White and non-white adults, and all age groups. None saw significant changes in the past year.
• Nonalcoholic beverages: 17% of Americans, including 20% of those who drink alcohol and 14% of those who do not, reported consuming nonalcoholic beer, wine, or spirits instead of an alcoholic drink in the past year.
• Alcohol type: Beer continues to be the beverage consumed most often, followed by liquor and wine. Preferences have been consistent for the past several years, but over the longer term, they have shifted toward liquor and away from beer.

Meanwhile: Another Gallup poll found that Americans are significantly less likely than they were 10 years ago to say they participate in a variety of gambling activities. Around half of adults report doing any kind of gambling in the past year, down from nearly two-thirds a decade ago.

• The sharpest drops were in the three most common activities – buying a state lottery ticket, gambling in person at a casino, and participating in an office pool.
• The growth in the gambling industry may be the result of a smaller pool of Americans gambling more frequently or paying higher prices.