Gen Z is the sober-curious generation. Between 2011 and 2023, the number of adults aged 18 to 24 who drank alcohol dropped by 8 percentage points, according to survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Consumption among 25- to 34-year-olds has also fallen 5 percentage points over the past decade, making young adults the driving force behind America’s diminishing alcohol consumption.
Even young people who do drink do so less frequently than previous generations. Nearly two-thirds of 18- to 34-year-olds say one to two drinks a day is bad for their health, reflecting changing attitudes toward drinking.
These days, drinking less doesn’t mean sacrificing a social life, though. Bars and liquor stores are catering to a growing demand for mocktails and zero-proof alcohol. According to an Eventbrite report from this year, the platform saw a 92% increase in sober-curious events nationwide between 2023 and 2024. These include everything from morning dance parties (20% rise) to DJ’d events with coffee instead of alcohol (478% rise).
Yahoo used data from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine the evolving drinking culture among young adults in the U.S. The map data is based on surveys conducted between 2011-2012 and 2022-2023.
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