OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Fewer Americans under age 35 are drinking alcohol than ever before, according to a recent Gallup poll.
The trend includes Northeast Wisconsin cities known for heavy alcohol consumption, including Green Bay and Oshkosh.
“I only do it on occasions, once in awhile,” said Charles Friedl. “It gives me a lot more free time, a lot more energy.”
Just 50% of adults under 35 said they drink alcohol at all in that recent poll, a 9% drop in just two years, and down from 72% just two decades ago.
The sentiment held true even in just our small sample of UW-Oshkosh students.
“I’m just like there’s no reason for it, so I don’t,” said Elise Williams, a senior who abstains from alcohol.
Added Friedl: “I did drink a lot back in the day, but it had such a destructive habit on my body.”
In less than two weeks, the streets in Oshkosh will be lined with students participating in pub crawl. So it’s not as if all college students have given up on drinking, especially here in Wisconsin. But even among those younger folks who do go out, many are opting for some non-alcoholic options. The Tavern League of Wisconsin says its members are adapting.
“We’ve been seeing that [non-alcoholic] and mocktails are the fastest growing in our industry,” said Don Mjelde, Eastern District Vice President of the Tavern League of Wisconsin. “That tells us a lot about the younger generation and the choices they make when they go out.”
Even among the 50% who still drink, their drinking habits are different.
“There’s more people who are more conscious of the amount that they are consuming,” said Jason Schneider, manager at Mabel Murphy’s bar in Oshkosh.
And they’re trading old-school High Life or PBR for a White Claw or a Carbliss.
“They’re moving away from the beer, away from the cocktails,” said Schneider.
“As long as bar owners are cognizant of this market, it’s not a threat, but rather an opportunity,” said Mjelde. “A lot of people say taverns are where people go to have an alcoholic beverage. Well, there’s a lot of mocktail and [non-alcoholic] selections at a lot of different places now.”
There are theories to explain why – younger generations are less social, more health-conscious and have some other easily accessible substances to choose from.
It just means taverns will need to evolve with a changing, or even shrinking customer base.
In that same Gallup poll, 54% of all adults said they drink. However, that number has fallen 13 percentage points in just three years.
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