More Scots choosing low and no alcohol drinks, according to new research
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OVER a quarter of Scots are regularly choosing low and no alcohol drinks, according to new research which has just been published.
A survey commissioned by the Portman Group – the social responsibility body and regulator for alcohol labelling, packaging and promotion in the UK – and carried out by YouGov found that 29 per cent of Scottish drinkers choose low and no alcohol drinks – an increase of two per cent compared to last year.
Twenty-seven per cent said their alcohol consumption had gone down since they first tried low and no alcohol drinks while the most popular reason given was to be able to drive home from social events (37 per cent)
Reducing the possibility of health concerns or current medical reasons were also cited by 23 per cent of people. The other main reason was to socialise without drinking excessively (12 per cent) with 9 per cent stating they alternated low and no alcohol products with regular strength alcohol to moderate their overall consumption.
The results from the fourth annual YouGov online survey indicate that low and no alcohol could be an effective tool for people looking to moderate drinking, often while at home with Covid-19 remaining an ongoing concern.
The popularity of these drinks is part of a wider UK trend towards low and no alcohol, with almost one in three (32 per cent) of UK drinkers now semi-regularly consuming low and no alcohol products compared to one in four (25%) in 2020.
Alcohol drinkers are the main buyers of non-alcoholic products using them as alternatives to alcohol. Well over half (58 per cent) of UK non-drinkers have not tried a low/no product and just 14 per cent are semi-regular consumers. The survey was undertaken between December 9 and 10 and involved a total sample size of 2,079 adults, of which 176 were from Scotland.
In response to the figures, Matt Lambert, the chief executive of the Portman Group said: "As these positive findings show, Scotland is increasingly choosing low and no alcohol products, a trend being witnessed across the UK. There has been a big increase in drinking low and no during the pandemic, indicating that many UK drinkers have looked to moderate their alcohol consumption by swapping with non-alcoholic options. These figures show the fruits of industry innovation and investment over the past decade to provide consumers with an array of lower alcohol options."
Total volume consumption of no/low products is forecast to grow by 31 per cent by 2024 across the 10 key countries – Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the US – which represent 75 per cent of global low and no alcohol consumption.
