Americans Drinking Less as U.S. Alcohol Use Stays at Record Low
Americans are changing their relationship with alcohol, and new polling suggests the shift may be more than a passing trend.
The percentage of Americans drinking less has helped push the nation’s self-reported alcohol-use rate to its lowest point in Gallup’s nearly 90 years of tracking. Just 54% of U.S. adults said they drink alcohol in Gallup’s latest Consumption Habits survey, matching the record low set one year earlier.
The finding adds to evidence of a significant change in American attitudes toward drinking. Health concerns are growing, fewer people say they overindulge, and some consumers are turning to nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits instead.
The question now is whether this marks a lasting cultural change.
U.S. Drinking Rate Holds at 54%
Gallup reported Aug. 20 that 54% of American adults said they drink alcoholic beverages, unchanged from 2025 and the lowest percentage recorded since Gallup began asking the question in 1939.
The decline did not happen all at once.
Gallup’s figures show:
- 2023: 62% said they drank alcohol
- 2024: 58%
- 2025: 54%
- 2026: 54%
That means the drinking rate fell eight percentage points in just two years before leveling off.
Historically, the change is even more striking. Gallup previously found the rate reached as high as 71% during the late 1970s.
The 2026 survey was conducted July 1-19 among approximately 1,200 adults nationwide. Gallup reported a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points for the full sample.
Health Concerns Are Changing Attitudes Toward Alcohol
One of the strongest forces behind Americans drinking less appears to be changing perceptions about health.
Gallup found 51% of adults now believe drinking one or two alcoholic beverages per day is bad for health. Last year, 53% said the same — the highest figure Gallup had recorded.
That represents a major reversal from earlier attitudes.
In 2001:
- 27% said moderate drinking was bad for health.
- 22% said it was good for health.
- 46% said it made little difference.
Public awareness has also increased. Gallup reported that 86% of Americans have heard at least something about recent research into the long-term health effects of alcohol, up from 79% in 2024.
That growing awareness is consistent with warnings from federal health agencies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drinking alcohol raises the risk of several cancers, including cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon and rectum, as well as breast cancer in women. The CDC advises that drinking less can reduce health risks.
The U.S. Surgeon General has also cited a causal link between alcohol consumption and at least seven types of cancer.
Drinking Less Does Not Mean Everyone Has Quit
The Gallup findings should not be interpreted as suggesting that most Americans have completely abandoned alcohol.
A majority — 54% — still reports drinking.
But the survey suggests people who do drink may be consuming alcohol more cautiously.
Gallup found U.S. drinkers reported an average of 3.2 drinks during the previous week. Although slightly higher than the 2.8 reported in 2025, that remained below the 3.9-drink average recorded across the preceding five surveys.
Perhaps more telling, only 13% of Americans said they sometimes drink too much, another Gallup record low.
Before 2000, more than 20% routinely gave that answer. In 1989, the figure reached 35%.
Gallup researcher Lydia Saad summarized the broader trend this way:
“Fewer Americans are drinking, and those who do appear to be cutting back.”
Nonalcoholic Drinks Are Finding an Audience
Changing drinking habits do not necessarily mean Americans are abandoning the social rituals that have traditionally surrounded alcohol.
Some are simply replacing the alcohol.
Gallup asked about nonalcoholic alternatives for the first time this year and found 17% of U.S. adults had consumed nonalcoholic beer, wine or spirits instead of an alcoholic beverage during the past year.
Among current drinkers, that number rose to 20%.
Of drinkers who use alcohol-free alternatives:
- 38% said they were consuming more of them than before.
- 17% said they were consuming fewer.
The numbers suggest alcohol-free products remain a minority choice, but their growth could reflect a broader move toward moderation.
A separate YouGov survey released in July 2026 found 36% of Americans age 21 and older who drink said they were drinking less than one year earlier, while only 5% said they were drinking more. Half of those cutting back cited simply having less desire to drink, while 35% pointed to health and 20% cited cost.
Beer Still Leads — But Liquor Has Gained Ground
For Americans who continue drinking, beer remains the most commonly preferred alcoholic beverage, although its dominance has weakened.
Gallup’s latest results found:
- 36% preferred beer
- 32% preferred liquor
- 30% preferred wine
Over the past decade, liquor has gained 12 percentage points while beer has fallen seven points. Wine has remained around 30%.
Preferences also differ by gender. Gallup found 56% of male drinkers favored beer, compared with 16% of women. Women were much more likely to prefer wine.
Why Americans May Be Drinking Less
There is probably no single explanation for the decline.
The evidence points to several overlapping factors:
- Greater awareness of health risks. Federal health agencies have increasingly emphasized links between alcohol and cancer and other illnesses.
- Changing attitudes toward moderation. A majority now views daily moderate drinking as unhealthy.
- Less desire to drink. YouGov found this was the most common reason given by people cutting back.
- Higher consumer costs. Some drinkers say price is influencing their choices.
- More alcohol-free options. Nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits give consumers ways to participate socially without consuming alcohol.
The data does not prove that any one factor caused the national decline. Gallup’s survey measures behaviors and attitudes, not direct cause and effect.
A Public Health Gain — With Some Important Context
From a public health standpoint, reduced excessive drinking could carry meaningful benefits.
The CDC estimates excessive alcohol use contributes to about 178,000 deaths annually in the United States. Excessive drinking has also been associated with liver disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, injuries and several cancers.
But it is important to distinguish between alcohol use and excessive alcohol use.
Not everyone who drinks does so excessively, and Gallup’s survey asks whether people drink at all. It does not diagnose alcohol-use disorder or determine whether each respondent drinks at medically risky levels.
Federal guidance similarly makes distinctions between excessive drinking, moderate consumption and abstinence. At the same time, the CDC says drinking less generally carries less health risk than drinking more, and even low levels of alcohol can increase the risk of certain cancers.
Is America’s Drinking Decline Here to Stay?
One year at a record low could be an unusual result.
Two consecutive years begin to look more like a trend.
And the broader decline from 62% in 2023 to 54% today strengthens the case that something significant is changing in American culture.
Still, Gallup’s polling cannot tell us whether drinking rates will continue falling.
Economic pressures could change. Health messaging could evolve. Younger generations could maintain their lower drinking rates as they age — or their habits could shift.
What can be said with confidence is that Americans’ relationship with alcohol looks different today than it did even a few years ago.
For families, health professionals, businesses and community organizations, that change is worth watching.
Conclusion: A Quiet Cultural Shift Worth Watching
The latest Gallup poll offers a striking snapshot: Americans drinking less is no longer limited to a single age group or a temporary wellness trend.
The national drinking rate has remained at 54% for two years, concerns about alcohol’s health effects are near historic highs, fewer Americans admit to excessive drinking, and alcohol-free beverages are becoming more familiar.
There is reason for caution when drawing conclusions from any single poll. But when nearly 90 years of Gallup data show a record low — and that record lasts another year — the trend deserves attention.
For people who drink and are concerned about their health, the CDC recommends discussing alcohol use with a health care professional and notes that reducing consumption can lower several health risks.
The American drinking culture is not disappearing. But it may be changing in ways that would have been hard to imagine a generation ago.
Sources
- Gallup, Americans’ Drinking Remains at Record Low, Aug. 20, 2026.
- Gallup Poll Social Series, July 1-19, 2026 survey methodology.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol use and cancer guidance.
- U.S. Surgeon General, Alcohol and Cancer Risk.
- YouGov, Why 36% of Americans are drinking less alcohol in 2026.
