A new study by research firm YouGov has found that beer remains Australia’s alcohol beverage of choice with 27 per cent of us claiming it to be our favourite tipple. However, wine was breathing down beer’s neck with 25 per cent of respondents saying it was their top tipple, with spirits coming in at 21 per cent.
The study found it wasn’t the young ones who were the nation’s biggest drinkers, it was in fact the 45-54 year olds with 17 per cent of those admitting they drank every day.
However, young people appear to be keen on catching up! When asked how their drinking habits have changed compared to a year ago, over 40 per cent of those aged between 18-24 say their alcohol consumption has gone up the study found.
The great “beer VS wine” debate becomes more divided when gender is taken into account. Here, stereotypes ring true; beer is the first choice for four in ten men but just 14 per cent of women. Wine comes out top for women, cited by 32 per cent of women as their favourite drink.
Tastes also differ according to age. Cider is popular among young people but is far less so among older generations. While a fifth of 18-24 years olds (21 per cent) cite cider as their favourite drink, just three per cent of 55-64 years olds do. By contrast, spirits are more popular among older generations, favoured by 29 per cent of 55-64 year olds but just 16 per cent of 18-24 year olds.
But are the differences between generations a matter of tastes or trends? More than half of those surveyed (55 per cent ) say their choice is based on taste. Appearances also matter when factoring in what young people drink, with nearly one in five (18 per cent) of 25-34 years saying that they choose their favourite drink because it makes them feel cool. For others, the choice is about a means to an end, with one in 10 choosing to drink their favourite alcohol because it helps them get drunk.
