Poll shows drop in beer's popularity
By Sharif Durhams of the Journal Sentinel
July 28, 2011 8:53 a.m. |(0) Comments
Pollster Nate Silver points out a statistic that might spell doom for the country: "Popularity of beer at record low," he writes.
Well, it's not clear that we've broken a record, but the love of beer at least matches its lowest point in past 20-years among adults, according to a Gallup Poll released Wednesday.
Among those asked which alcoholic beverage they would most often drink, 36% said beer was their pick. Beer just beat out wine as the top choice. Wine was the preference of 35% of respondents. Only 23% said liquor was their top choice.
According to Gallup:
Preference for beer declined among all age groups this year, but it fell the most among young adults — dropping to 39% today from 51% in 2010. By contrast, middle-aged adults' preference for beer fell just three percentage points (to 41% from 44%), and older adults' fell two points (to 27% from 29%).
Younger adults' decreased preference for beer is accompanied by slight increases in their preferences for liquor and wine. Additionally, 2% of young adults this year volunteered that they most often drink cordials, up from less than 1% in 2010 and in most prior years.
The Gallup organization has all sorts of charts and graphs to record beer's decline. It seems Midwesterners still lead the country in beer preference, with 46% of those in the region making beer their first choice. Check out the poll for more details.