Today’s AIHW release continues to paint a responsible picture, with the long-term trend showing Australia’s drinking culture is increasingly one where moderation is the norm.
Executive Director of Alcohol Beverages Australia, Adele Young, said today “The survey shows that Australians maintained a sensible relationship with alcohol over the 2019-2020 year.”
The data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that for the year 2019-20, Australia’s apparent consumption of alcohol (as measured by sales) was relatively unchanged and has been steady for the past 30 years, a significant decline (30 %) from Australia’s peak consumption in the 1970’s.
“This reflects the long-established trend data that Australia now has a mature relationship with alcohol beverages, and that the principles of responsible drinking are firmly embedded in our culture.”
The data complements other changes Australia has seen in how it consumes alcoholic beverages in the last three decades. Over that time, Australian drinkers have increasingly sought quality over quantity, as consumers enjoys the trend of premiumisation for drinks both domestic and imported.
“There has been tremendous innovation in new products and new ways to purchase, including through online buying and delivery. There has also been great interest in the growth of no and lower alcohol alternatives.
All of which demonstrate that Australians can and do enjoy drinking beers, wines and spirits responsibly and the data backs this up,” Ms Young said.
Source:
* 2019 – 2020 10.05 litres of alcohol per capita for 2019-20, down from 10.29 litres for 2018 – 2019. Significantly less than the 13+ litres Australians were consuming in the 1970s https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/alcohol/apparent-consumption-of-alcohol-inaustralia/contents/about