Gallup says 54% of US adults consume record low alcohol amid growing health concerns about alcohol consumption. It opened up space for alternatives like non-alcoholic beer.
The reason for drinking among adults has hit record lows.
A new Gallup poll shows that few Americans drink alcohol, and now even moderate drinking is at health risk.
No brand – Lifestyle
Brewers are becoming more creative as Americans say “no” to alcohol more often.
A recent survey from Gallup found that 54% of US adults are consuming record low alcohol amid growing health concerns surrounding alcohol consumption. It opened up space for alternatives like non-alcoholic beer, according to Dave Williams, vice president of Bump Williams Consulting, a Connecticut company specializing in the alcoholic beverage industry.
Companies are “focused on trying to stabilize or revive flagships and core brands,” Williams said. “At the same time, they’re looking to the future where consumer habits change. You saw it with a non-alcoholic expansion. There are currently non-alcoholic versions of almost every major beer brand.”
Why don’t Americans drink?
The recent general consultation of US surgeons that even moderate alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of cancer is some of Americans questioning their drinking habits.
More than half of Americans of alcohol use said they heard these findings, according to a March report by Pew Research. 41% of those drinkers say they plan to cut a little (30%) or lot (11%).
The findings came when the beer category was already losing business to alternatives like hard seltzer. This indicates that annual growth rates of declines selected between 2008 and 2024 have been flat or declined since 2007, and therefore lost business to alternatives like hard seltzer, according to Marten Lodewijks, US data president for the beverage industry analytics firm.
Industry experts say economic challenges are also contributing to the recent recession.
Almost a third of US consumers will spend less on alcoholic beverages for the next three months, according to an August report by McKinsey & Company. 57% plan to maintain static spending in the category, while 14% plan to spend more.
“There are many concerns about discretionary income. You have to try and save money, or try to cut your spending, or make different decisions on the frequency and volume side,” Williams said.
IWSR data suggest that this is particularly true among younger drinkers. Alcohol consumption participation rates are being picked up among ZER, a legal drinking age that jumps from 46% in 2023 to 70% from 46% in 2025, but he said younger Americans tend to drink more frequently than their previous generations.
“They’re much more likely to go out once, and they won’t go out again for a week or two,” Lodewijks said. “They can’t afford to drink every weekend and go out.”
New trends, new products
Beer remains the most popular alcoholic drink among Americans, but the evolving trend is brewers experimenting with new products.
Heineken, which launched the non-alcoholic Heineken 0.0 in the US in 2019, is testing the Heineken 0.0 Ultimate. This is a new product that is touted to have zero alcohol, zero calories and zero sugar.
According to Maggie Timony, CEO of Heineken USA, the brand will enter double-digit states in 2026 after first testing in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
“People are looking for healthier options. It’s not that they’re not drinking, but they’re changing the way they drink,” Timony told USA Today. “So we need to make sure we are particularly loyal to the brands that offer premium products, and then we continue to invest behind those brands.”
Timony said the company views the sales of non-alcoholic beer as a growth platform. Heineken 0.0 in particular has grown in double digits over the last few years, with Timony expecting similar growth in the short term across the non-alcoholic beer segment.
“After all, we want to cool moderation, like zebra stripes, or alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at social events — “It’s a thing,” Timony said.
Bump said it has not only focused on zero alcohol and light beers that it plays in the market these days, but also on fun flavors and small pack sizes to suit customer demand.
Lodewijks added that he believes post-pandemic rise in health and wellness concerns will remain here. How severely they will affect long-term alcohol sales is another matter.
“Just because you know something isn’t good doesn’t mean you’re not going to do it, and there are still many social benefits to drinking,” he said. “So, I think we will see continuous growth in healthier options, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will become non-alcoholic options.
