The Gender Pint Gap Revisited FINAL - Flipbook - Page 18
THE GENDER PINT GAP: REVISITED/DRINKING HABITS
Commentary and Opportunities
The frequency of women’s consumption of beer in GB has
decreased since the last Dea Latis survey. But we have to put this
into context: frequency of all alcohol intake has decreased.
Public knowledge about the harmful effects of all types of alcohol
has vastly increased over the past five years and has led to a yearon-year decrease across all categories. People are drinking less
volume; they’re drinking less frequently and they’re more
mindful about what they drink. The advice from NHS UK about
the quantity and frequency of what alcohol we drink is:
To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks:
men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week
on a regular basis.
spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as
much as 14 units a week.
if you want to cut down, try to have several drink-free days each
week.
(NHS UK, 2023)
The Covid-19 pandemic served as a wakeup call for many about
the health of the nation and shone a spotlight on the
overstretched health care service. Covid changed people’s
attitudes, patterns of behaviour, and opinions about what they
consumed and how frequently they consumed it. This didn’t just
impact on beer (and all alcohol categories), it had a knock-on
effect across many categories of consumable goods.
The pandemic, and associated lockdowns caused many people’s
relationship with alcohol to change. Although overall sales fell
during 2020 due to pub and restaurant closures, there was a
significant rise in supermarket sales of alcohol. Many people
began drinking strong forms of alcohol (such as wines or spirits)
during the pandemic.”
(World Economic Forum, Nov 2021).
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Dea Latis research opposite
shows women’s consumption
of beer decreased by almost
14% during the pandemic. For
men, this was even more
extreme. 25% of men said
their consumption of beer
decreased during the
pandemic and we can
realistically assume this was
related to on-trade closures
and restrictions.
Lifestyle Choices
Sales of low and no alcohol beer have
risen exponentially since 2019. The
product quality and availability of this
category has undoubtedly contributed
to its increase in market share. In
addition, mindful drinking and sober
curiosity have become synonymous
with the changing attitude to alcohol
since the pandemic.
According to Mintel (2023), “over half
of UK consumers aged 18-34 worry
about the effect of alcohol on their
emotional wellbeing, and over twothirds of all alcohol drinkers of all ages
share that concern. Six in ten UK
adults now avoid or limit their alcohol
consumption, and four in ten now
regularly choose a low or no alcohol
option. The cost-of-living crisis has
added momentum to the alcohol
moderation trend. This presents a
significant opportunity for low and
no-alcohol drinks.”
The Opportunity
The no and low alcohol beer
category has a significant
opportunity to rid beer of its
historical reputation as a ‘man’s’
drink and attract women to the
flavours of its full-strength
counterparts.
It challenges the barriers
women cite about not opting
for beer as a drink of choice on
many levels, from its lower
calorific content to the fact it’s
an informed lifestyle choice.
Brewers, brand owners and
retailers have the chance to
reset women’s attitudes about
the beer category in general by
positioning low and no alcohol
alternatives as a gender-neutral
drink.
