Drinkers are consuming more 100% alcohol, says Mintel

Despite the proportion of alcohol drinkers in the UK decreasing, people are drinking more pure alcohol than ever. Other findings revealed that the appeal of binge drinking amongst younger people is dropping. In the past five years, the number drinking at least two or three times a week has decreased by 13% amongst 18 – 24 year old men and 26% amongst 18- 24 year old women. In addition, there is evidence that binge drinking is becoming less socially acceptable amongst this group. The research showed 18-24 year olds are 22% less likely to agree with the statement "The point of drinking is to get drunk" compared to a 13% drop amongst the whole adult population over the past five years. Meanwhile it seems attitudes towards alcohol in general remain positive. Nearly 60% of consumers claim to be more aware of campaigns encouraging them to drink responsibly, and 49% say they are more aware of binge drinking then they used to be. However, research also found that 22% of adults drink more at home than a year ago because it helps them to relax. Jonny Forsyth, senior drinks analyst at Mintel said: "In the 1970s a bottle of wine may have been around 11% in ABV and now the same bottle is more likely to be around 13%. Equally, we have seen stronger lager become much more popular over the past couple of decades, with the growth of the 5% 'premium' lager sector. It may be that the majority of consumers are not aware of ABV and don't even notice." "Britain's deeply engrained drinking culture will be slow to change but the key challenge for the government is to help drinkers consume fewer units for each drink they have." He continued. "The success of recent reduced alcohol beer and lager lines is also significant for drinks manufacturers, suggesting that there is a growing consumer appeal for drinking more sensibly across all types of drinks."