Polling shows beer consumption unchanged during pandemic

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Americans’ drinking habits – what they drink and how much – are about the same as they were pre-pandemic, according to new research conducted by Echelon Insights on behalf of the Beer Institute. Overall, the survey found that a majority of those polled reported drinking about the same amount of beer, and with approximately the same frequency, since the pandemic began. This is in stark contrast to the widely held assumption that people are drinking more during the pandemic.

"Many people think that over the course of the pandemic, people have been sitting at home drinking more beer than ever before, and that’s simply not the case,” said Jim McGreevy, President and CEO of the Beer Institute. “Although many news reports erroneously stated that beer consumption has increased during quarantine, the perception that people are drinking more is false. The survey results match the dramatic decline we’ve seen in retail beer sales, especially since many gathering places where draft beer is served, such as stadiums, concert venues, bars,and restaurants, had to close or were limited in their operational capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

When asked about overall alcohol consumption habits – defined as the consumption of wine, beer, and liquor or hard spirits – survey respondents reported that their drinking habits have not changed greatly since the pandemic started. While 1 in 5 respondents reported drinking more, nearly the same amount also reported drinking less. Nearly 60 percent of respondents reported no change in their drinking habits since the pandemic began. These results are in line with other public polling from 2020 that showed most Americans reported drinking about the same during quarantine, including IUPUI, Morning Consult and YouGov.

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