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    One in Six Americans Admit Drinking Too Much

    One in Six Americans Admit Drinking Too Much

    by Wendy W. Simmons

    GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

    PRINCETON, NJ -- According to a recent Gallup poll, 64% of Americans say they drink alcoholic beverages at least occasionally. Of these, 26% say they sometimes drink more than they should. Thirty-six percent of Americans say they completely abstain from drinking. Gallup has been asking the American public about its drinking habits for more than 60 years. The number of people who say they drink has fluctuated somewhat during that time, ranging from 55% to 71%. Admitted drinking reached its lowest point in the 1950s and its highest point in the 1970s. The first time Gallup asked this question, in 1939, 58% of Americans claimed they were drinkers, while 42% said they did not drink at all.

    Certain Groups More Likely to Drink and Drink Too Much

    • Men areslightlymore likely to say they drink than are women (67% vs. 60%).
    • Men are twice as likely as women to say they sometimes drink too much (22% vs. 11%).
    • Younger people are more likely to drink than are older people -- 68% of those between the ages of 18 and 49 say they have occasion to drink, compared with 57% of those over the age of 50.
    • Thirty-five percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 say they sometimes drink more than they should, compared with 18% of those in their 30s and 40s and just 6% of those over the age of 50.
    • People living in urban areas, regions outside of the South, and those with higher levels of education are more likely to drink alcohol on occasion than are rural dwellers, Southerners and those without a college education.

    50- to 64-Year-Olds Drinking Less This Year
    Although the majority of Americans drink, most drinkers report relatively moderate levels of consumption. Those who say they drank at least one alcoholic beverage in the past week report an average of less than one drink per day (5.6 per week). This weekly average is down slightly this year, however, from an average of 6 per week last year. It appears this decline is driven by those between the ages of 50 and 64. The drinkers in this group report an average of 3.7 drinks per week, down from 5.7 drinks per week last year.

    More Than a Third of Americans Report Drinking Has Caused Family Trouble
    Thirty-six percent of those surveyed told Gallup that drinking has been a source of problems for their family. This number has been on the rise, particularly in the past couple of years. In 1947, when Gallup first asked this question, only 15% of Americans said drinking had been a problem in their family. As recently as 1994, the rate of self-reported problems was just 27%. However, this number rose to 30% in 1997, and then to 36% in 1999 -- an all-time high -- and it remains at that level in this year's survey.

    There are several possible explanations for the increase in self-reported family drinking problems over the years, including a real-world increase in the rate of alcoholism, an attenuated stigma associated with alcohol problems and a greater willingness to talk about such problems, and perhaps a broader understanding of what it means to have a "drinking problem." At least one indication in the poll suggests the increase may reflect a change in attitudes rather than behavior: there has been no significant change in recent years in the percentage of drinkers who say they sometimes drink too much.

    Differences in Preferred Drink by Age, Gender and Socioeconomic Status
    As Gallup has found in previous surveys on this topic, beer continues to be the alcoholic beverage of choice for a plurality of Americans who drink. Forty-three percent of drinkers say they drink beer most often; wine and liquor follow, with 31% and 22%, respectively. Of those who drink,

    • Men are almost three times as likely as women to name beer as their preferred drink -- 62% vs. 24%.
    • Wine is the preferred drink of 47% of women, compared to only 17% of men.
    • Younger people are more likely to prefer beer, while older people tend to prefer wine -- 50% of 18- to 29-year-olds say they drink beer most often, compared to 27% of those over the age of 50. Forty-six percent of those over the age of 50 say they drink wine most often.
    • Those with postgraduate degrees are most likely to have a strong preference for wine -- it is the drink of choice for 53% of this group. Just 35% of those with a college education prefer wine and 24% of those with no college experience drink wine most frequently.

    Survey Methods

    Results reported here are based on telephone interviews with -- 1,028 -- national adults, aged 18+, conducted November 13-15, 2000. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points.

    Results based on the subsample of -- 692 -- of those who say they drink alcohol on occasion have a margin of sampling error of +/-4 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

    Do you have occasion to use alcoholic beverages such as liquor, wine or beer, or are you a total abstainer?

     

     

     

    Yes,
    drink

    No, total abstainer

       

    Yes,
    drink

    No, total abstainer

     

    %

    %

       

    %

    %

                 

    2000 Nov 13-15

    64

    36

     

    1976

    71

    29

           

    1974

    68

    32

    1999 Sep 23-26

    64

    36

     

    1969

    64

    36

    1997 Jun 26-29

    61

    39

     

    1966

    65

    35

    1996 Jun 27-30

    58

    42

     

    1964

    63

    37

    1994 Jun 3-6

    65

    35

     

    1960

    62

    38

    1992

    64

    35

     

    1958

    55

    45

    1990

    57

    43

     

    1957

    58

    42

    1989

    56

    44

     

    1956

    60

    40

    1988

    63

    37

     

    1952

    60

    40

    1987

    65

    35

     

    1951

    59

    41

    1984

    64

    36

     

    1950

    60

    40

    1983

    65

    35

     

    1949

    58

    42

    1982

    65

    35

     

    1947

    63

    37

    1981

    70

    30

     

    1946

    67

    33

    1979

    69

    31

     

    1945

    67

    33

    1978

    71

    29

     

    1939

    58

    42

    1977

    71

    29

           


    When did you last take a drink of any kind of alcoholic beverage?

     

    BASED ON -- 692 -- WHO DRINK; ±4 PERCENTAGE POINTS

             
     


    24 hours

    Over 1 day
    to week ago

    Over 1
    week ago


    Don't know

     

    %

    %

    %

    %

             

    200 Nov 13-15

    26

    32

    42

    *

             

    1999 Sep 23-26

    35

    25

    39

    1

    1997 Jun 26-29

    33

    25

    42

    *

    1996 Jun 27-30

    28

    26

    45

    1

    1994 Jun 3-6

    34

    23

    42

    1

    1992

    26

    24

    49

    1

    1990

    29

    23

    47

    1

    1989

    32

    35

    32

    1

    1988

    39

    25

    34

    2

    1987

    38

    30

    31

    1

    1984

    39

    29

    31

    1



     

     

    Approximately how many drinks of any kind of alcoholic beverages did you drink in the past SEVEN days?

     

    BASED ON -- 692 -- WHO DRINK; ±4 PERCENTAGE POINTS

     

     

     


    0


    1-7


    8-19


    20+

    Don't
    know

     

    %

    %

    %

    %

    %

               

    2000 Nov 13-15

    43

    46

    8

    3

    *

               

    1999 Sep 23-26

    40

    47

    8

    4

    *

    1997 Jun 26-29

    41

    45

    8

    5

    1

    1996 Jun 27-30

    47

    42

    7

    2

    2

    1994 Jun 3-6

    44

    42

    10

    3

    1

    1992

    51

    36

    10

    2

    1

    1990

    50

    40

    6

    3

    1

    1989

    33

    47

    13

    5

    2

    1988

    32

    49

    10

    6

    3

    1987

    29

    50

    11

    6

    4



     

     

    Do you most often drink liquor, wine, or beer?

     

    BASED ON -- 692 -- WHO DRINK; ±4 PERCENTAGE POINTS

     

     

     


    Liquor


    Wine


    Beer

    ALL/SAME (vol.)

    OTHER (vol.)

    No opinion

     

    %

    %

    %

    %

    %

    %

                 

    2000 Nov 13-15

    22

    31

    43

    3

    0

    1

                 

    1999 Sep 23-26

    19

    34

    42

    4

    *

    1

    1997 Jun 26-29

    18

    32

    45

    4

    *

    1

    1996 Jul 25-28

    20

    27

    46

    6

    0

    1

    1994 Jun 3-6

    18

    29

    47

    3

    1

    2

    1992 Jan

    21

    27

    47

    3

    1

    1

                 


    Do you sometimes drink more alcoholic beverages than you think you should?

     

    BASED ON -- 692 -- WHO DRINK; ±4 PERCENTAGE POINTS

     

     

     

    Yes

    No

    No opinion

     

    %

    %

    %

           

    2000 Nov 13-15

    26

    74

    *

           

    1999 Sep 23-26

    24

    76

    *

    1997 Jun 26-29

    22

    78

    *

    1996 Jul 25-28

    25

    75

    *

    1994 Jun 3-6

    29

    71

    0

    1992

    29

    71

    --

    1990

    23

    76

    1

    1989

    35

    65

    --

    1987

    29

    71

    --

    1985

    32

    68

    --

    1978

    23

    77

    --



     

     

    Have you ever made a really serious effort to stop drinking, or not?

     

    BASED ON -- 692 -- WHO DRINK; ±4 PERCENTAGE POINTS

     

     

     


    Yes,
    made effort


    No,
    have not

    DON'T WANT
    TO QUIT
    (vol.)


    No
    opinion

     

    %

    %

    %

    %

             

    200 Nov 13-15

    16

    80

    3

    1

             

    1999 Sep 23-26

    15

    80

    4

    1



     

     

    Has drinking ever been a cause of trouble in your family?

     

     

     

    Yes

    No

    No answer

     

    %

    %

    %

           

    2000 Nov 13-15

    36

    64

    *

           

    1999 Sep 23-26

    36

    64

    *

    1997 Jun 26-29

    30

    70

    *

    1996 Jun 27-30

    23

    77

    *

    1994 Jun 3-6

    27

    72

    1

    1992

    24

    76

    --

    1990

    23

    76

    1

    1989

    19

    81

    --

    1987

    24

    76

    --

    1985

    21

    79

    --

    1984

    18

    82

    --

    1981

    22

    78

    --

    1978

    22

    78

    --

    1976

    17

    83

    --

    1974

    12

    88

    --

    1966

    12

    88

    --

    1947

    15

    85

    --

           
           

    * Less than 0.5%

    (vol.) Volunteered response

           



    Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/2257/one-six-americans-admit-drinking-too-much.aspx
    Gallup World Headquarters, 901 F Street, Washington, D.C., 20001, U.S.A
    +1 202.715.3030