When Americans head to the bar this weekend, a majority will end up reaching for beer if the trend rings true, with suds remaining Americans’ top alcoholic beverage, over liquor and wine.
The numbers come from Gallup’s latest Consumption Habits poll, which looks to examine how Americans consume a variety of substances, including alcohol.
The poll found that 62% of Americans say they drink alcohol, a number that falls in line with the pollster’s average of 63%, which dates back to 1939.
While the poll noted that a majority of Americans reported having the “occasion to use alcoholic beverages such as liquor, wine, or beer” for decades, certain demographics are more prone to enjoy a drink.
Middle-aged adults, college-educated adults, those with higher incomes, and those who attend church less frequently than once a week were the most likely groups to drink at higher rates than their counterparts.
But when asking Americans what their favorite alcoholic beverage was, the pollsters found that beer was the top choice among drinkers (37%), followed by liquor (31%) and wine (29%).
Beer has been the top choice for Americans for decades, according to pollsters. However, in recent years its top spot has dwindled, dropping from its near 50% in the 90s and 2000s.
The poll noted that between 2011 and 2013, wine usurped liquor for the send-most-popular-drink spot.
As for this year’s results, 31% naming liquor as their favorite alcoholic drink surpasses an all-time record for the poll.
When it comes to whose favorite drink is what, Men are more than twice as likely to drink beer most often, while women are three times as likely as men to choose wine as their most common beverage.
Age also played a role in drink choice, as younger drinkers were more likely to pick beer and liquor, while older drinkers gravitated towards beer and wine.
Gallup also shared its results for Americans’ marijuana usage, as this year, exactly 50% of Americans have tried marijuana at some point in their life, while 17% say they “smoke marijuana,” a new high for the poll.
Still, alcohol remains a top substance used by Americans.
The poll was conducted from July 3-27.
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