One in Six Americans Admit Drinking Too Much

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