Swiss prefer binge drinking to daily tipple

Alcohol: fewer and fewer people drink every day Keystone-SDA

Four out of five Swiss people aged 15 or above are consumers of alcohol, but the number of daily imbibers is falling, according to the latest research.

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The data reveals that the overall proportion of alcoholic beverage drinkers has remained stable since 1992. it also shows that behaviour is shifting towards occasional drinking habits.

These are the findings of the Federal Statistical Office’s (FSO) survey on alcohol consumption in Switzerland from 1992 to 2022. Today, the vast majority of the population (83%) drinks alcohol, and more men than women (87% vs. 79%).

More than half the population (55%) drink at least once a week. But daily alcohol consumption has fallen: from 30% among men in 1992 to 12% in 2022. Daily consumption increases with age: among people aged 65 and over, one man in three and one woman in seven drink alcohol every day.

Some 4% of the population has a chronic risk of alcohol consumption, i.e. at least two standard glasses of an alcoholic beverage for women on average every day, or at least four for men. This risk has fallen since 1997, particularly among men (8% to 4%) and to a lesser extent among women (5% to 3%).

Binge drinking, on the other hand, has increased since 2007. This increase is more marked among women (6% to 11%) than among men (16% to 19%). By binge drinking, the FSO refers to the consumption of at least four glasses for women and five glasses for men on a single occasion. This phenomenon mainly affects teenagers and young adults.

Wine is the alcoholic beverage consumed by the greatest number of people: 49% of the population drink it at least once a week. Beer follows at 38%, then spirits (16%) and alcopops (2%). Men are still far more likely than women to choose beer (55% vs. 21%). Wine, on the other hand, is consumed in similar proportions by both sexes (51% for men and 48% for women).

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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