Two well-known surveys on younger adults and alcohol appear to disagree. One shows drinking falling, the other shows it rising. Both are accurate. They count different people, and a buyer who quotes either one should know which group it describes.
Gallup: adults aged 18 to 34
Gallup’s Consumption Habits survey, with fieldwork from July 1 to 19, 2026, asked US adults whether they drink. Among adults aged 18 to 34, 50 percent said they do, below 2023 levels. Gallup’s report says drinking has declined since 2023 across all age groups.
That group is defined by age, not by generation. It includes older millennials and Gen Z, as well as 18- to 20-year-olds below the legal drinking age. It does not measure Gen Z on its own.
IWSR: Gen Z of legal drinking age
IWSR’s Bevtrac survey, H1 2026 wave, published July 14, 2026, reports on legal drinking age consumers only. In the US, Gen Z legal drinking age consumers participated at 71 percent, up from 68 percent two years earlier.
This group is defined by generation and by legal age. It leaves out older millennials and anyone under 21.
Why the two cannot share a chart
The groups overlap but do not match. Gallup’s includes people too old to be Gen Z and too young to buy alcohol. IWSR’s includes neither. The surveys also ask different questions with different methods. A chart that puts 50 percent next to 71 percent invites a conclusion that neither survey supports.
A quick test before you quote a number
- Name the group. Say “adults aged 18 to 34” or “Gen Z legal drinking age,” never “young people.”
- Name the source and the year. Both should appear in the same sentence as the figure.
- Check the legal age. If the group includes people under 21, do not treat it as a count of potential buyers.
- Keep each figure with its own survey. If you need both, present them side by side with their definitions, not on one trend line.
For purchasing decisions, the legal-age figure is the closer match to the people who can buy the product.
Planning from market data
If you are turning market data into a category plan, our team can help you work through what it means for your accounts. Our guide to what an Asian beverage importer does for a producer shows how that planning fits with the importer relationship. Contact us through the RTM Imports contact page.