Millennials and Gen Z: A Comprehensive Study of Alcohol and Non-Alcohol Beverage Purchase and Consumption Behavior

Where have all the younger drinkers gone? It’s the question that everyone who works with beverage alcohol has been asking themselves. According to a recent Gallup Poll, the number of adults under the age of 35 who drink alcohol has fallen to 62% - down from 72% a decade ago. Even those who do drink are drinking less than in the past; fewer than four in 10 now drink regularly.

These shifts in drinking behaviors are already changing the beverage market. But until now, no benchmark study has been done to understand what younger audiences are drinking - and why.

In this study, 1,300 drinking-age Gen Z and Millennial consumers were surveyed and asked:

• How are Millennials and Gen Zs interacting with alcohol? And what are they drinking when they’re not drinking alcohol?
• Why do they choose one type of beverage over another?
• Who or what is influencing their purchase and consumption behavior?
• Are social norms around beverages and beverage occasions changing - and if so, how?
• The study also offers a deep-dive into wine, asking:
• How has Covid changed wine consumption for these audiences?
• Which regions and styles of wines do they prefer?
• Who or what drives wine purchase and consumption?
• On which drinking occasions is wine preferred over other beverages?
• How much are younger audiences willing to spend on wine?

The study offers a clear action plan to all players in the beverage space, from alcohol brands to soft drink companies to regional wine bodies to importers and distributors. It is for anyone who’s looking to understand Millennial and Gen Z drinking behavior - and to sell more effectively to these younger audiences. From category preferences at specific drinking occasions to drivers of discovery and purchase, the insights from this report can help marketers develop a data-backed roadmap for product development, sales, and advertising.