During Dry January, a Look at Americans’ Alcohol Habits and Attitudes

When the U.S. Surgeon General sounded the alarm about the link between alcohol consumption and cancer, it was three days into Dry January, a time when many Americans pause drinking in a step toward healthier living.

This “sober curious” wellness movement has been gaining in popularity beyond Dry January, which originated through the organization Alcohol Change UK in 2013. Sober October started a year later. To cater to a growing demand for alcohol-free drinks, non-alcoholic bars have been popping up around the country, including Binge, the first such bar in Big City Washington, D.C. that opened in February 2023.

The American Communities Project sought to understand alcohol consumption habits in our 15 community types, based on the latest MRI-Simmons consumer research data gathered from households across the country between September 2021 to August 2023, and then broken into the ACP types in fall 2024. Nationally, 62% said they had an alcoholic beverage in the last six months. The figures were lower in a few rural communities, including Native American Lands at 50%, Evangelical Hubs at 51%, Working Class Country at 53%, and the African American South at 54%. In these places, many cultural and religious practices turn residents away from alcohol consumption.

Consumption in the Last Six Months

Of the alcohol consumed in the last six months, distilled liquor was the most cited, by 49% of respondents. The noted rural community types sat much below the average, in the high 30s to low 40s.

By contrast, more than a third, 38%, said they consumed beer/ale in the last six months, while 34% said they drank wine in the same period. Beer/ale drinking was highest in the Exurbs, Urban Suburbs, and Middle Suburbs at 40%, all suburban communities of different socioeconomic circumstances. Interestingly, beer drinking hung around average in the College Towns at 37%. Wine drinking, too, peaked at 40% in the Urban Suburbs, while the nearby Big Cities were close behind at 37%.

Where Purchased in the Last Six Months

Supermarkets have become principal places for Americans to purchase beer and wine, topping liquor stores, convenience stores, drug stores, membership clubs, online, and other places. Nearly a quarter of household respondents, 24%, said they bought beer from the supermarket in the last six months. Despite the variety of landscapes and lifestyles, this varied just 10 points, from 18% in the African American South to 28% in the LDS Enclaves out West.

Almost a fifth of those surveyed, 18%, said they bought wine from the supermarket in the last six months. The variability among types was just five points. In few rural communities — the Native American Lands, Aging Farmlands, and Evangelical Hubs — 14% said they bought wine from the supermarket in the same period, considered below average.

How Much Spent in the Last 30 Days

When it came to money spent in the last 30 days for beer or for wine, $11-$20 was the range most cited for each kind of beverage. But that covered just 6% of respondents for beer and 5% for wine nationally. Percentages did not vary very much by community. For example, 6% in the Exurbs said their wine purchases fell between $11-$20, which was considered above average for this community type. All other communities were 4% or 5%. For beer purchases between $11-$20, seven community types of different geographies and demographics — Rural Middle America, Urban Suburbs, Exurbs, Middle Suburbs, LDS Enclaves, Graying America, and College Towns — all came in at 7%. Only in LDS Enclaves was 7% considered above average because of the community type’s smaller population size.

For liquor purchases in the last 30 days, the most popular dollar ranges were $11-$20 and $51-$100. Each range sat at 5% nationally. At the community type level, rural communities, such as the African American South, Native American Lands, Evangelical Hubs, and Working Class Country, were considered much below average for such spending. In contrast, the Urban Suburbs stood above average for spending $51-$100.

Wine Drinking in the Last Seven Days

Moreover, drinking domestic wines was more of a habit in the affluent suburbs. Nationally, 8% said they drank four or more glasses in the last seven days. Urban Suburbs stood out for being much above average at 10%. Whereas Evangelical Hubs, Aging Farmlands, and Native American Lands were much below average at 5%.

Nationally, 7% said they drank 2-3 glasses in the last seven days. This moderate amount varied between 4% and 8% at the community level, with Urban Suburbs again at the high end and above average. Aging Farmlands, Evangelical Hubs, Rural Middle America, Working Class Country, and Native American Lands were all considered below average.

Nationally, 14% said they drank 0-1 glasses of wine in the last seven days. Urban Suburbs stood above average at 16%. Rural communities were below average, around 10% or 11%.

A Hard Seltzer Preference

When Americans were asked about consuming drinks or glasses of “alcoholic beverages, coolers & seltzers” in the last 30 days, 8% nationally said they drank four or more glasses. This varied by a few percentage points across the 15 community types, with LDS Enclaves peaking at 10%, which was considered above average.

For brands chosen, White Claw Hard Seltzer, with about 5% alcohol per 12 ounces, came in No. 1, at 23%. LDS Enclaves were at the top end at 31%. In these rural West locales, many Mormon nondrinkers coexist with residents of different lifestyles. Also high were two suburban community types, the affluent Exurbs and struggling Middle Suburbs, both at 29%. Again, the African American South and Evangelical Hubs were at the low end, at 12% and 13% respectively.

Truly Hard Seltzer, containing about 5% alcohol per 12 ounces, came in No. 3 nationally at 14%. There was just 10 points of variation among community types on the question of drinks or glasses consumed in the last 30 days. At the upper end were Hispanic Centers at 18% and the Middle Suburbs at 17%. Meanwhile, the African American South and Native American Lands didn’t reach 10%.

Public Opinion Polling

Overall, public attitudes on alcohol are changing. Gallup has found that Americans increasingly see alcohol consumption as unhealthy, according to the organization’s Consumption Habits poll conducted in July 2024. In fact, “45% of Americans say drinking one to two alcoholic beverages a day is bad for one’s health,” the survey found. That was six points higher than in 2023 and 17 points higher than in 2018, according to Gallup.