8.05.2010

Swirls: women like their wine – a lot more than men; Gallup surveys U.S. alcohol consumption

Think about it: when you go to a bar with friends, who is ordering what? Don’t the men overwhelming ask for a beer while the women are more likely to order wine? In fact, women call wine   their preferred drink by a wide margin over men in a new Gallup survey. Of those who drink alcohol, 48 percent of women say wine is their drink of choice, compared with just 17 percent of men. When it comes to beer, the tables are turned, with 54 percent of men saying they prefer beer, compared with 27 percent of women. Those who cite liquor are almost evenly divided, with 22 percent of men and 21 percent of women calling the hard stuff their preferred drink.

Wine is most popular with women over 50, with 58 percent of them saying it is their go-to drink, while men pretty much stay with beer as they get older, with just 21 percent of men over 50 saying they prefer wine. Among under-50 men, Gallup says, a strong preference for beer (59 percent)  “does not come as a surprise to those who observe the preponderance of beer ads embedded in sports and other programming aimed at young men.” Quite true in that it is rare to see wine advertised at sports events in this country.gallup 2

Overall, the survey found that 76 percent of American adults drink alcohol, the highest number since 1985. And those with  higher education and income levels tend to drink more. (If there is one slight peeve I have with this survey, it is the fact that the sample starts at age 18, whereas the drinking age, for better or worse, is 21, but I suspect that the reason for this is that the survey began when the drinking age was still 18.) Read more about the survey here.

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