Yes, that is true – the amount of alcohol consumed per person among Gen Z is less than it was for the Baby Boom generation.
BUT – as always – this needs to be examined in historical context.
First, it is not possible to generalize this finding to all of Gen Z – as of 2025, Gen Z spanned the age range from 13 to 28 with an average age of 21. About half were not at the legal drinking age yet.
In the past, the legal drinking age varied, by state, from 18-21 in the 60s and 70s. By the 1970s, a majority of states permitted drinking at age 18 or 19.
Many states allowed younger persons to legally consume in the presence of parents or adult guardians in a private setting. Today, 20 states ban that practice.
The national age 21 law did not go into effect until 1984.
DUI laws were not enforced nearly as much in decades past, versus today when DUI violations are treated seriously. More people take that into account when choosing to consume alcohol – or not – which acts as a deterrent.
Additionally, substitution effects of legal marijuana now replace alcohol among Gen Z consumers.
“For Gen Z (born 1997–2012), cannabis is rapidly replacing alcohol as the preferred social and recreational substance.
Surveys indicate that 69% of 18-to-24-year-olds now prefer cannabis over alcohol, with 56% actively replacing alcohol consumption with cannabis products.
For the first time in history, daily cannabis users outnumber daily drinkers among Americans aged 19–30″
The price of alcoholic drinks has gone up fairly sharply – while in many areas where cannabis is sold legally, there is a surplus and prices are cheap, making marijuana a significant substitution for alcohol.
Drinking habits of the past versus today are not a single variable problem.
