A growing share of Americans are putting down the bottle — and Gen Z is leading the way. New Gallup data shows that 46% of U.S. adults now say they do not drink alcohol at all, the highest number in the poll’s nearly 90-year history. That is up from 38% in 2023 and reflects the steepest two-year drop in alcohol use Gallup has recorded.
The shift is widespread, but it is particularly pronounced among younger adults, whose drinking rates have steadily declined over the past decade. Just half of adults ages 18 to 34 now say they drink, down from 59% last year. Women are also driving the trend, with the percentage who report drinking falling 11 points to 51%.
Health concerns appear to be a major factor. For the first time, a majority of Americans — 53% — believe that even “moderate” drinking, defined as one or two drinks a day, is bad for you. That is nearly double the share from 2018, when only 28% saw moderate drinking as harmful. Younger adults are the most likely to hold this view, with roughly two-thirds saying moderate drinking is unhealthy. Women are also more likely than men to agree.
Even among those who still drink, habits are changing. The average number of drinks consumed per week has dropped to 2.8 — the lowest Gallup has recorded since the mid-1990s. Fewer drinkers are having alcohol regularly: just 24% say they had a drink in the past 24 hours, and 40% say it has been more than a week since their last one.
Gallup’s data suggests the U.S. could be entering a new era of drinking habits, one where alcohol is no longer the social default. For Gen Z, that shift is already well underway — and the rest of the country may be catching up.
We’ll cheers to that.
