IWSR’s latest Bevtrac survey of consumer sentiment, released today, shows that Gen Z is not shunning alcohol any more than older consumers—and in some cases may be pushing back against the moderation trend.
Across the fifteen markets covered by the Bevtrac survey, the proportion of Gen Z legal drinking age (LDA+) adults who claim to have consumed alcohol in the past 6 months has risen from 66% in March 2023 to 73% in March 2025.
The upward swing in participation is even more pronounced in specific key markets over the same timescale: from 46% to 70% in the United States, from 66% to 76% in the UK, and from 61% to 83% in Australia.
While the overall rate of 73% is still lower than the participation rate of all adults (78%) the survey found that that behaviour among Gen Z consumers who are drinkers is no longer significantly different from the behaviour of other generations.
In addition to increased participation, the Bevtrac survey also identified several trends among Gen Z LDA+ drinkers that indicate their behaviour is increasingly in line with the behaviour of previous generations in their 20s.
- They are more likely to partake from a wider range of categories of beverage alcohol than drinkers as a whole (Gen Z LDA+ drinkers reported consuming over five categories on average in the last six months, as opposed to just over four categories for Boomers).
- They are slightly more likely to drink spirits than all adult drinkers as a whole.
- They are significantly more likely to drink beverage alcohol at a bar, restaurant or club than adult drinkers as a whole (nearly half of Gen Z LDA+ drinkers reported on trade as their last location as opposed to just over a third of all adult drinkers).
Moderation remains a growing trend across all age groups, but Gen Z LDA+ drinkers are not, as widely believed, at the forefront of this change. When asked to agree or disagree with the statement “I am actively choosing to drink more,” Gen Z LDA+ drinkers were more likely to agree with this statement than any other generation.
When Gen Z LDA+ drinkers do moderate, they follow different patterns than other generations. They are the generation most likely to engage in intermittent abstinence (nearly 60% of Gen Z LDA+ drinkers as opposed to just over 40% of all adult drinkers).
Richard Halstead, IWSR COO of Consumer Insights, says: “Moderation has been a growing trend among all drinkers for several years, but the idea that Gen Z LDA+ drinkers are somehow fundamentally different from other age groups isn’t supported by the evidence. For instance, we know that beverage alcohol consumption correlates with disposable income, and Gen Z came of age during a cost-of-living crisis. Rising prices have been especially acute in bars and restaurants – places that appeal most to Gen Z drinkers.
“With every year that passes, more Gen Z drinkers are entering the workforce, and those already in the workforce are typically earning more. I think we should expect that, as their incomes rise, they will drink more often – just as Millennials did before them.
“The good news for the beverage alcohol industry is that, while moderation is set to be a long-term factor, consumption is not in a tailspin. According to this evidence, much of the recent decline is cyclical, not structural – and is definitely not the ‘fault’ of Gen Z.”