Gallup has been monitoring Americans' alcohol consumption behavior and their opinions on the health consequences of this habit since the late 1990s. The latest findings come from Gallup's annual survey on alcohol consumption habits, conducted from July 7-21 of this year.
From 1997 to 2023, at least 60% of Americans reported consuming alcohol, a figure that dropped to 58% in 2024, before reaching 54 % today. According to historical data, peaks of 68% to 71 % occurred between 1974 and 1981.
The progressive declines in alcohol consumption in recent years are consistent with recent research indicating that any level of alcohol consumption can negatively affect health. This represents a marked reversal of the trend observed in previous surveys.
The new study states that the decline in alcohol consumption was more pronounced among women (12 percentage points lower than in 2023, to 51 %) than among men (five percentage points lower, to 57 %).
Alcohol consumption among non-Hispanic white adults also decreased by 11 points, while among Black adults it remained fairly stable, hovering around 50 %.
