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A third of U.S. drinkers plan to purchase less, or cheaper, alcohol this holiday season

Zoe Padgett

December 16, 2022 | 1 min read

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Key findings:

Americans reduce alcohol spending to fight inflation

Drinkers may be cutting back on alcohol to save money this holiday season, according to a new poll from Momentive conducted December 9-12, 2022. Among the 67% of Americans ages 21+ who drink, more than one-third (36%) spent less than usual on alcohol in the past 6 months. Those with incomes less than $50,000 are more likely to have cut back (43%; vs. 35% of $50-99k and 27% of $100k+). That trend should continue into the holiday season, with one in four drinkers (24%) planning to purchase less alcohol this holiday season due to inflation, and another 9% planning to purchase cheaper alcohol than usual.

New alcoholic beverages popular with younger, wealthier drinkers

New types of beverages are making a splash in the alcoholic beverage market. Among U.S. adults 21+ who drink, nearly half (47%) try new brands of alcoholic beverages regularly. The most likely to try new brands include young adults 21-34 (55%), those making $100,000 or more (56%), and those who have a drink at least once a week (65%). 

Over half of drinkers have tried hard seltzer (54%), but it varies by age; two-thirds of young adults ages 21-34 (66%), half of those age 35-64 (55%), and just one-third of older adults 65+ (34%) have tried it. Those who try it tend to like it, with 55% reporting that they “like” or “love” hard seltzer. White Claw is the most popular seltzer to try (66%), followed by Truly (51%). Other brands trail, with Bud Light Seltzer the next highest at 33%. White Claw is also the favorite; 26% of those who had tried at least one seltzer reported White Claw as their favorite brand, followed by Truly at 20%. 

Canned, ready-to-drink cocktails, another newcomer to the adult beverage market, also prove popular among drinkers; 45% of drinkers have tried canned cocktails. The majority (60%) of those who tried canned cocktails approve of the beverage. Women are more likely than men to have tried canned cocktails (51% vs. 39%), despite the drink resonating equally well among both men and women (61% of women and 59% of men who’ve tried it say they like it).

Drinkers more likely than non-drinkers to try non-alcoholic beer, wine, spirits

Non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits are making their mark on the adult beverage market as well. Nearly one in three adults 21+ (31%) have tried a non-alcoholic beverage, with drinkers more likely than non-drinkers. Those who drink once a week or more are the most likely to try (44%), followed by those who drink once a month or more (40%), and those who drink less than once a month (29%), while those who never drink (20%) are the least likely to try. 

Gender gap in beer, wine, and liquor preferences

When it comes to more standard alcoholic drinks, men and women are split on their preferences. While about half of men (50%) and women (45%) enjoy liquor, beer and wine are more divisive. While 55% of men enjoy beer, only 28% of women do. Meanwhile, 57% of women enjoy wine, compared with 44% of men. Vodka (33%) and tequila (19%) are the most popular liquor among women, while men prefer bourbon (31%). Wine also has a gender split, with women preferring moscato (21%) and men cabernet sauvignon (17%). In the beer category, light beer is the top choice among both genders (37% of men and 34% of women).

Want more data? Search all Momentive polls by keyword, topic, or media partner.

This study was conducted with our integrated market research panel. Read more about our polling methodology here. 

Click through all the results in the interactive toplines below: