According to an annual Gallup poll of preferences among Americans who drink alcohol, 41 percent of drinkers say they typically drink beer; 31 percent wine and 23 percent liquor.
The ten percent divide between beer and wine is one of the largest recorded since 2005, the year beer fell to its all-time low at 36 percent and wine knocked it out of the top spot.
At 41%, Americans’ current preference for beer is among the highest Gallup has recorded since beer fell to 36% in 2005 — although still not as highly favoured as it was in the 1990s, when nearly half preferred it.
The 2005 dip for beer occurred at the peak of an apparent increase in American drinkers’ preference for wine between 2002 and 2005. Since then, drinkers’ tastes have reverted somewhat, with beer back on top. Slightly more drinkers still choose wine today than did so in the early to mid-1990s; however, wine shows no upward momentum.
Wine continues to be the top choice for women, at 46%. Among men, wine (17%) trails both beer (57%) and liquor (20%). Wine edges out beer among older adults: 38% of those 55 and older drink wine most often, compared with 32% who most often drink beer. By contrast, the plurality of 18- to 34-year-olds (48%) and those aged 35 to 54 (43%) prefer beer.
The latest results are from Gallup’s July 7-10 Consumption Habits survey, and are based on telephone interviews with U.S. national adults, aged 18 and older.
To see the Gallup poll please click here