About 54% of U.S. adults say they drink alcohol, according to Gallup’s 2026 Consumption Habits survey, conducted July 1–19, 2026. That ties the 2025 reading as the lowest in Gallup’s trend, which dates back to 1939. The figure fell from 62% in 2023 to 58% in 2024 and 54% in 2025 before holding steady this year; for comparison, it peaked at 71% in the 1970s.
Gallup also found that a record-low 13% of Americans say they sometimes drink more than they should, and 51% now believe that one or two drinks a day is bad for health. Among drinkers, 36% say beer is the beverage they drink most often, compared with 32% for liquor and 30% for wine.
Source: Gallup, “Americans’ Drinking Remains at Record Low” (August 20, 2026).
Image: U.S. standard drink comparison. Credit: National Institutes of Health (NIAAA), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.