Drinks makers argue falling sales volumes are more to do with the economy than consumers turning against alcohol.
IWSR said its data could not rule out fundamental behaviour change as a factor, but did counter the widespread narrative that there has already been a historic shift away from drinking.
“We’re not at any sort of historic low,” Marten Lodewijks, president of IWSR told Reuters, adding it will likely take years to determine whether the current decline is due to economic cycles or a long-term shift in consumer habits.
IWSR, at least, thinks short-term conditions including huge pressures on consumer finances from high interest rates and inflation or political turbulence are bigger drivers. Its data also shows that steep declines in volumes of alcohol sold are less dramatic when converted to weekly drinks per person, which better accounts for shifts away from high-volume drinks like beer to lower-volume spirits, Lodewijks said. He also pointed to separate IWSR survey data that showed increases in the number of Gen Z respondents that reported recent drinking between 2023 and 2025. This indicated the cohort did not shun alcohol more than older generations despite widely being seen as leading the shift away from drinking.
Other surveys focused on drinking among younger consumers have registered declines. But analysts including Laurence Whyatt at Barclays say other data, including Gen Z spending on alcohol as a portion of income, supports the idea that economic pressures play a big role in how much they drink.
