Health-risk awareness rises as drinking declines across all age groups
A Gallup survey of U.S. adults found that 54% reported drinking alcohol last month, matching the record low the polling firm recorded in 2025 and the lowest share since Gallup began asking the question in 1939.
The share of Americans who say they drink began falling in 2022, when it stood at 67%. In the mid-1970s the figure was 71%. The 2026 survey shows the decline has continued across all age groups, according to Gallup Director of U.S. Social Research Lydia Saad.
“We saw a significant decline in people’s use of alcohol last year, but whether that was a one-time reaction or a trend, we had to wait and see,” Saad told Time. “This year’s result tells us that whatever is happening out there is a sustained change. Drinking has gone down across all age groups.”
The poll also produced a record low on a separate measure: just 13% of Americans said they drink too much sometimes. Gallup said the decline in drinking since 2023 is evident across most demographic groups.
The partisan split in the survey is pronounced. Some 63% of Democrats said they drink, compared with 53% of Republicans. The survey found that the share of Republicans and independents who say they drink has dropped more than 10% since 2023, while Democrats saw a 1% decline.
The poll also documented a shift in how Americans view alcohol’s health effects. Just over half of respondents this year said alcohol is “bad for health,” up from 26% in 2016. Eighty-six percent of those surveyed said they were aware of recent studies on alcohol’s long-term effects, up from 79% two years ago.
“The decline in alcohol use coincides with a sharp increase in concern about the health risks of drinking,” Saad told Time.
Gallup’s survey on alcohol consumption has tracked American drinking patterns since 1939. The 2026 results indicate that the post-2022 decline is a sustained shift in U.S. drinking behavior, according to the survey.