Americans’ drinking remains at record low: Poll

Americans’ drinking remains at historically low levels with a survey released Thursday reporting the lowest levels of alcohol consumption among Americans in its history, dating back to 1939.

A new Gallup survey found the share of Americans who consume alcohol held at 54 percent for the second consecutive year. Self-reported drinking has been falling in recent years from 62 percent in 2023 to 58 percent in 2024 and 54 percent in 2025.

It found across most demographic groups that drinking had fallen from 2023 to 2026 — including among all age groups, white and nonwhite adults, and men and women. The only subgroup for which drinking did not decline was Americans who attended religious service weekly, which did not change at 48 percent.

Gallup also noted that 51 percent of American adult respondents said they believe drinking one to two alcoholic beverages per day is bad for one’s health, while 40 percent said it makes no difference.

Guidance surrounding alcohol consumption has remained a debated topic under the Trump administration as it shifted previous guidelines.

At the beginning of the year, the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) were announced and notably removed the previous recommendation to limit alcohol consumption to one drink or fewer daily for women and two drinks or fewer for men.

Instead the new guidance advised: “Consume less alcohol for better health.”

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, followed up this guidance, saying drinking should usually be done in moderation and socially. “The implication is don’t have it for breakfast,” he said.

Researchers who have been studying the effects of drinking since 2022 were informed by the Trump administration in 2025 that it did not plan to publish their results.

The study, released in June in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs , found no benefits to moderate levels of drinking. It recommended that adults should limit themselves to one drink or less per day and stated these findings should have informed the latest DGA.

The Gallup survey took place July 1-19 among a random sample of 1,200 adults. The margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points.