Baseline survey of people’s awareness and perceptions of no and low alcoholic drinks

Background 

In 2022, Drinkaware commissioned YouGov to complete qualitative and quantitative research about awareness and perceptions towards low and alcohol-free drinks among UK drinkers.  

In particular, the research sought to understand: 

• How much drinkers in the UK were wishing to reduce their alcohol intake 
• How much drinkers in the UK understood low and alcohol-free drinks and their willingness to consume them 
• How low and alcohol-free drinks could work in commonplace settings where alcohol is consumed, and what the benefits were for those who had tried low and alcohol-free drinks 
• The influence of marketing and social peers on the take up of low and alcohol-free drinks.  

What did we find? 

There is a clear opportunity to support adults to reduce their alcohol consumption through low and alcohol-free drinks.  

• 30% wanted to reduce their alcohol consumption in the next year, while 36% had consumed low and/or alcohol-free drinks in the past year, and a third were likely to drink them in the next year.  
• 37% said improved taste would encourage them to drink a combination of low/alcohol-free and alcoholic drinks on the same occasion, followed by 26% and 25% who said cost (if cheaper than alcoholic and soft drinks, respectively).  
• Avoiding hangovers was the main benefit for those who had consumed a low and/or alcohol-free drink. Increasing or high-risk drinkers who had not consumed them were more likely to mention health benefits.  
• 23% had been discouraged from drinking a low or alcohol-free drink and over a third (35%) saw someone be discouraged from drinking them. 14% thought someone would react negatively to them if they were seen drinking a low or alcohol-free drink.  

Work needs to be done to: 

• Normalise these options and reduce the stigma around consuming them 
• Improve the taste and cost (relative to alcoholic drinks) 
• Promote the health benefits of adopting these options as a moderation technique to achieve a lower-risk alcohol consumption.  

For more information, you can download the full report below.