Whether it’s a glass of wine at dinner or a martini during happy hour – Americans are consuming alcohol at the highest rate in 25 years, according to a new Gallup Poll.
The poll found 67 percent of U.S. adults drink alcohol, which is the highest percentage since 1985. Beer remains the favorite choice, followed by wine and liquor.
In the 71 years since Gallup has been tracking this trend — they started in 1939 during the end of the Great Depression — the number of Americans drinking has remained pretty stable, with a few exceptions.
In 1958, Gallup recorded the lowest percentage, with only 55 percent of Americans identifying themselves as drinkers, while nearly two decades later, from 1976 - 1978, the poll jumped to an all-time high of nearly 71 percent of Americans consuming booze.
According to Gallup, one of the most “significant predictors” of whether a person drinks, has to do with church attendance. People who seldom or never attend church are “substantially more likely” to say they drink than people who go to church on a regular basis.
Results of this poll are based on telephone interviews during a two-day period last month, with a random sample of more than 1,000 adults, 18 and older.
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