Gen Z is drinking more, and it may be a sign that they are better off.
The study also found that the uptick in drinking habits was especially drastic in the U.S., where 70% of Gen Z respondents said they had consumed alcohol in the past six months, compared to under half in 2023. While Gen Z isn’t picky, choosing from, on average, five categories of alcohol in the past six months prior to the survey, they are slightly more likely to turn to spirits as their drink of choice. They are much more likely to drink alcohol at a bar, club, or restaurant, than all adult drinkers as a whole, according to the report.
The shakeup in Gen Z drinking habits may be because its members are getting older and earning more. The oldest members of the generation are now in their mid-to-late 20s.
More than any other generation, Gen Z respondents were more likely to answer yes to the question, “I am actively choosing to drink more,” according to the report.
And notably, the generation’s alcohol consumption is now in line with previous generations who experienced a similar uptick in drinking in their 20s.
“With every year that passes, more Gen Z drinkers are entering the workforce, and those already in the workforce are typically earning more. I think we should expect that, as their incomes rise, they will drink more often – just as Millennials did before them,” said Halstead in a statement.
