Alcohol consumption among adults in the United States has dropped to its lowest level on record, as more Americans now believe that even moderate drinking poses health risks, according to a new nationwide survey.
Data from Gallup’s latest Consumption Habits survey show that only 54 percent of US adults reported drinking alcohol, down from 58 percent in 2024 and 62 percent in 2023. The figure marks the lowest rate recorded since Gallup began tracking drinking habits in 1939, surpassing the previous low of 55 percent in 1958.
The decline appears to reflect shifting attitudes toward health rather than a move toward alternative substances. Gallup researchers said the drop in alcohol use does not seem to be driven by increased consumption of recreational cannabis, which is now legal in many US states.
Public perception of alcohol has also changed sharply. A majority of Americans, or 53 percent, now say that moderate drinking is harmful to health, up from 45 percent a year earlier. Public health warnings linking alcohol consumption to several types of cancer have gained wider attention in recent years.
Regular drinking has likewise decreased. Only 24 percent of respondents said they had consumed alcohol the day before the survey, the lowest figure on record, while 40 percent reported that it had been more than a week since their last drink. Average alcohol intake over the past seven days fell to 2.8 drinks, the lowest level since 1996.
Gallup has tracked Americans’ drinking behavior for more than eight decades, offering a long-term view of changing habits that now point to a significant cultural shift away from alcohol.