Alcohol Use Remains Low
The share of U.S. adults who use alcohol remains at a historic low, while awareness of alcohol-related health risks continues to grow. Gallup’s latest survey found that only 54% of U.S. adults reported alcohol use in 2026.
That matches the record-low figure from 2025 and marks the lowest level in Gallup’s tracking since 1939.
At the same time, more U.S. Americans now view alcohol as harmful to health, suggesting a significant shift in people’s attitudes and behaviour.
U.S. Americans Are Moving Further Away From Alcohol
Gallup’s findings show a clear decline in alcohol use over recent years. The share of U.S. adults reporting alcohol use fell from 62% in 2023 to 58% in 2024 and 54% in 2025. It remained at 54% in 2026. The number of US Americans who consume alcohol shrank by 12.90% since 2023.
Gallup research director Lydia Saad told TIME that the latest result indicates that the change appears sustained. The decline extends across major demographic groups.
- Alcohol use has fallen since 2023 among men and women, White and non-white adults, and all age groups.
- Gallup also found significant declines among Republicans and independents, while alcohol use among Democrats remained virtually unchanged since 2023.
The latest figures also show differences by age. According to the Gallup survey,
- 50% of adults aged 18–34,
- 58% of adults aged 35–54, and
- 55% of adults aged 55 and older reported alcohol use.
Health Concerns Are Changing How U.S. Americans See Alcohol
The decline in alcohol use coincides with growing awareness of the health risks linked to alcohol.
Gallup found that 51% of U.S. adults now believe that using one or two alcoholic beverages a day is bad for health.
This figure remains close to the record-high 53% recorded in 2025. In 2001, only 27% held this view.
For example, only 6% of U.S. Americans now believe moderate alcohol use is good for health. Nearly two decades ago, about one in four Americans held that view.
Awareness of scientific research has also increased. 86% of Americans say they have heard at least something about recent studies on the long-term health effects of alcohol. That compares with 79% in 2024. The share saying they had heard a great deal or fair amount about this research increased from 49% to 54%.
These changes matter because people’s recognition of the real risks and the full extent of harms alcohol is causing can support behaviour change.
Fewer People Report Using Heavy Amounts of Alcohol
The decline also appears in U.S. Americans’ reports of heavy and binge alcohol use.
Only 13% of adults say they sometimes use more alcohol than they think they should. This represents another record low. Before 2000, more than 20% of U.S. Americans routinely reported consuming more alcohol than they wanted to. The figure reached 35% in 1989.
The 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that substantial problems with heavy and binge alcohol use nevertheless remain.
- Among U.S. teenagers and adults who used alcohol, 44% reported binge alcohol use during the previous month.
- About 10%, or 14.5 million people, reported heavy alcohol use, defined in the survey as binge alcohol use on five or more days during the previous 30 days.
Overall, binge and heavy alcohol use declined between 2021 and 2025. However, the figures for underage people who used alcohol did not change during that period.
Growth of Non-Alcoholic Beverages Offers Another Sign of Change
U.S. Americans are also exploring beverages liberated from alcohol. For the first time, Gallup asked about “nonalcoholic alternatives” in its 2026 survey.
17% of respondents said they had used nonalcoholic beer, wine or spirits instead of an alcoholic beverage during the previous year.
Among people who use alcohol and also consume nonalcoholic alternatives, 38% said they were consuming more of these alternatives, while only 17% said they were consuming less.
Moreover, a March 2026 coverage of an Ipsos Consumer Tracker survey found that 38% of U.S. Americans who had “given up” a behaviour during the previous year had decided to go alcohol-free. Alcohol ranked first among the behaviours people reported deciding to stop.
This finding adds another dimension to the Gallup results. Some U.S. Americans are not simply reporting lower alcohol use. They are also actively choosing beverages liberated from alcohol and periods free from alcohol.
The Alcohol Industry Faces a Changing Market
The shift in consumer behaviour also creates pressure for alcohol companies.
A June 2026 Movendi International media snapshot highlights Gallup’s 54% figure and described industry efforts to stimulate sales through World Cup sponsorships, advertising and bar promotions.
According to the report, alcohol industry sales declined 6% in 2025. It also cited a 9% decline in Diageo’s North America revenue, including a 15% decline in its U.S. spirits sales.
Heineken increased its bar marketing spending by nearly 200%, while Molson Coors increased summer advertising spending by 60%.
These figures show an important tension. While many U.S. Americans are moving toward lower and no alcohol use, major alcohol companies continue to invest heavily in efforts to maintain or increase alcohol sales and consumption.
Health Should Remain at the Center of the Shift
The U.S. shift matters beyond consumer preferences. Alcohol remains a major cause of preventable harm:
- Approximately 178,000 U.S. deaths each year due to alcohol.
- About two-thirds of these deaths involve chronic diseases, including cancer and heart disease
- 61,000 deaths relate to accidents or binge alcohol use.
The continuing decline in alcohol use offers an opportunity to support healthier communities. More U.S. Americans recognise the health risks, fewer report alcohol use, and more are choosing nonalcoholic beverages and alcohol-free periods. Policies and public messaging can build on this shift by promoting health and development for all rather than allowing commercial interests to reinforce alcohol use as a social norm.
Sources
Gallup: “Americans’ Drinking Remains at Record Low”
TIME: “Americans Are (Still) Drinking Less than Ever Before”
Turn to 23 (KERO): “A new Gallup poll finds Americans are drinking less alcohol and increasingly viewing it as harmful to their health”
The Independent: “Americans are skipping cocktails with historical lows in number who drink”