Young alcohol abstainers

The proportion of 16-to-24-year-olds consuming no alcoholic beverages has increased from approximately 19% in 2011 to 38% in 2021 in England. This trend is observed among both young men and women. Additionally, the percentage of heavy drinkers among young people has also decreased resulting in the median number of alcoholic units consumed per week decreasing from 7 in 2011 to 3 in 2021. The share of non-drinkers 25-to-34-year-olds is also increasing, probably partly due to the 16-to-24-year-old non-drinkers aging. Across age groups, women are leading the reduction in alcohol consumption, but men tend to follow with a few years lag. These trends in alcohol consumption behavior naturally lead to the question how this impacts alcoholic beverage companies. Instead of trying to sell more drinks, many companies have shifted to selling “better” or more premium drinks, called premiumization. But it seems difficult to sell a premium drink to a non-drinker.

Source: UK National Health Service (December 2021).