Sweden: Youth Consumes Less Alcohol During Coronavirus Crisis
A new survey into alcohol consumption patterns in Sweden has found that youth consumes less alcohol during the Coronavirus crisis.
Magdalena Gerger, CEO of Systembolaget, has said there is a different purchasing pattern during the current public health crisis is Sweden. Since restaurants and bars are closed people are frequenting the government-run alcohol retail monopoly Systembolaget more, and as a result sales of the monopoly have increased. However, young people are consuming less alcohol than before.
A survey conducted by Norstat on behalf of Systembolaget found,
- 73% have no change in their alcohol consumption,
- 18% of Swedes report consuming less alcohol,
- 30% of Swedes aged 17 to 29 years report consuming less alcohol.
In Sweden, the alcohol norm to expect alcohol in almost any social situations has been slowly changing for years. The pandemic and physical distancing have greatly reduced this type of social situations where alcohol consumption usually was expected and often pressured to happen. Ms. Gerger believes this is the reason for the reduction of alcohol use among youth because young people generally consume alcohol in a social context. Young people also believe this is why their consumption has reduced.
The Oppressive Alcohol Norm And The Freedom To Not Use Alcohol
This reveals that an important aspect of alcohol prevention in Sweden is changing the outdated and harmful alcohol norm, for example through normalizing alcohol-free choices, ensuring more alcohol-free environments and providing alcohol-free lifestyle options for youth and older people to feel free to live according to their preferences.
As Movendi International has previously reported, already the trend has started among Swedish youth to stay alcohol-free longer.
The Swedish trend is replicated across the world where more and more young people choose to reduce alcohol or stay alcohol-free.
—
For further reading:
“Slowly, The World Is Changing Rapidly”
by Lucas Nilsson
