Gen Z Drinking Rates Close Gap With Older Cohorts After Pandemic Delay

Alcohol adoption among young adults rebounded to 74 percent as social rituals resumed, though Millennials and Gen X still consume at higher rates.

Seventy-four percent of Generation Z reported consuming alcohol in the past six months, a figure that narrows the gap with older cohorts after years of suppressed socialization. This represents an eight-point increase from three years ago, according to new data from IWSR, and signals that the pandemic-era delay in drinking initiation is resolving as this demographic enters its prime socializing years [1]. The recovery tracks a return to group consumption patterns rather than solitary use, suggesting the underlying demand for alcohol was merely deferred by lockdowns rather than permanently displaced by wellness trends or sobriety movements.

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