MEDIA RELEASE 16th March 2020
A just-released study shows the rise in ‘No-Lo’ drinking among young adults in the UK mirrors what’s happening in New Zealand.
“It’s clear that No-Lo drinking is becoming a global phenomenon – particularly in western mature markets,” says NZABC Executive Director, Bridget MacDonald.
“Young adults are driving this change by thinking about what and how they drink – and as a result, they are choosing more ‘better-for-me’ options,” says Bridget.
The report[i] produced by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) shows that no-and low-alcohol drinks have knocked craft beer from its perch as the preferred tipple of the 18–24 age group with a 30% increase in sales since 2016 and that 23% of young adults have made a decision to not drink at all.
Bridget also notes that recent research in the US shows a massive change in drinking culture with 66% of 21-34 year-olds making an effort to reduce their overall alcohol consumption.[ii]
“We are seeing similar changes in New Zealand with Kiwis drinking less,” says Bridget.
“In the last decade, we have seen a steady decline in young adults drinking[iii] and our alcohol consumption, overall, has fallen on a per capita basis so that the amount we drink is now below the OECD average.[iv]
“The industry here has reacted to the changing trends with a whopping 330% increase in the production of 0-1.15% alcohol beer over the last decade.”[v]
[i] https://www.siba.co.uk/SIBA-British-Craft-Beer-Report-2020.pdf
[ii] Nielsen Insights, October 2019 https://www.nielsen.com/nz/en/insights/article/2019/merry-but-mindful/
[iii] https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/annual-update-key-results-2018-19-new-zealand-health-survey
[iv] https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/4dd50c09-en/1/2/4/2/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/4dd50c09-en&mimeType=text/html&_csp_=82587932df7c06a6a3f9dab95304095d&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book
[v] https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/alcohol-available-for-consumption-year-ended-december-2019