GfK Custom Research

Press Release

Date

December 15, 2008

Mark Hofmans
GfK DTC
Tel. +32 2 47528-00
Fax +32 2 47528-02
mark.hofmans@gfk.com
Sandra Lades
GfK Custom Research
Tel. +49 (0) 911-395-3606
Fax +49 (0) 911-395-4029
sandra.lades@gfk.com
Marion Eisenbltter
GfK Group
Corporate Communications
Tel. +49 (0) 911-395-2645
Fax +49 (0) 911-395-4041
marion.eisenblaetter@gfk.com

A third of Europeans are teetotal

An international GfK survey looks at alcohol consumption in
17 countries
Nuremberg/Frankfurt am Main, December 15 Europeans drink
alcohol with varying frequency, depending on their country of
origin. Most people in Turkey, for example, are teetotal. In
Germany, this applies to only 18% of residents. The European
average shows that around one third shun alcohol while the
number of teetotalers is slightly higher in the USA. These are the
findings of a survey on alcohol consumption, carried out in 16
European countries and the USA by GfK Custom Research on
behalf of The Wall Street Journal Europe.
Four out of ten Americans indicated that they never drink alcohol. In Europe,
this applies to three in ten respondents. The majority in Turkey expressed
that they are teetotal. More than 80% do not drink alcohol at all.
Approximately 50% of Italians and Portuguese do not drink any alcohol. By
contrast, with 18% of the population stating that they are teetotal, Germany
is ranked further down the league table. The number of non-drinkers is even
lower in the Netherlands (15%), Greece and Sweden (14% in each case).

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Approximately 40% of Europeans drink alcohol a maximum of once a week.

In Germany, this figure totals almost 50%. The percentage of Europeans
who have several drinks a week amounts to 16%. Ten percent indicated that
they have one or more alcoholic drinks a day. At 9%, Germany is just below
this average value. The group of people who consume alcohol on a daily
basis comprises mainly men aged 50 or over.

Management Board:
Professor Dr.
Klaus L. Wbbenhorst
(CEO)
Christian Weller von Ahlefeld
(CFO)
Petra Heinlein
Debra A. Pruent
Dr. Grard Hermet
Wilhelm R. Wessels
Supervisory Board Chairman:
Dr. Arno Mahlert
Commercial register
Nuremberg HRB 9398
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Favorite drinks in Europe and the USA

Figures in %

Beer

Wine/
sparkling
wine

Liqueurs
and
fortified
wines
(e.g.
sherry,
amaretto)

Spirits
(e.g.
vodka,
whiskey)

Cocktails/
alcopops

What is your favorite tipple? (Only one response possible)

All countries

36

33

16

Western Europe

34

43

Belgium 35

50

Germany 48

39

France 16

50

12

14

Greece 33

35

21

UK 27

38

14

10

Italy 25

62

Netherlands 32

44

12

Portugal 47

38

Sweden 40

39

Switzerland 23

62

Spain 49
Central/Eastern
Europe 50

24

15

22

10

Poland 51

15

12

30

30

34

Turkey 65

10

20

Hungary 45

35

40

28

10

22

Russia 35
Czech Republic

Europe overall
USA 37

51

36

Source: GfK Alcohol consumption survey 2008, GfK Custom Research/WSJE

A matter of taste
Choice being a matter of taste also applies to people selecting their favorite
alcoholic drinks. Western Europeans for example prefer wine and sparkling
wine to anything else. A total of 43% of respondents stated that these were
their favorite drinks. In second place is beer with 34%. Differentiated by
gender, it emerges that the majority of western European women prefer
wine and wine-based drinks in particular. Almost half of men prefer to drink
beer. In the wine-growing countries of Italy and Switzerland, wine is popular
with an above-average number of residents. Almost two thirds favor wine
over other alcoholic drinks. In France and Belgium, half of respondents also
prefer wine and sparkling wine. However, 50% of Spanish respondents
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stated that they like beer, with only a quarter indicating wine as their
favorite drink. Unsurprisingly, the result for Germany shows that around half
of Germans prefer beer while approximately 40% like wine better.
Spirits big in Russia while Turkey has a sweet tooth
Only 10% of Europeans and Americans indicated spirits such as whiskey, gin
and vodka as their favorite drinks. By comparison, these types of alcoholic
drinks are extremely popular in Russia. A total of 30% of respondents there
are most likely to drink spirits with high alcohol content. This means that in
Russia vodka is as popular as wine and almost as popular as beer.
Sweet and mixed alcoholic drinks are well-liked in the USA and Turkey.
Approximately one in five respondents in these countries opts for sweet
alcoholic drinks, such as cocktails and alcopops. There are differences
between men and women in terms of preferences. While men aged 50+ are
most likely to choose a mixed drink in Turkey, in the USA these drinks are
favored by girls and young women aged 14 to 29. In the rest of Europe, an
average of only 7% of respondents has a preference for such drinks.
Liqueurs and fortified wines are the least popular drinks. In Europe and in
the USA, they are far down the preference ranking with a value of around
5%. The French make an exception, with a total of 12% of respondents
being liqueur aficionados. These kinds of drinks are particularly popular with
women in the 50+ age group.
Alcohol and its effects
In response to the question as to how alcohol impacts on their mood, 30%
Europeans and a quarter of US respondents replied that they felt no effect
at all. Only one out of seven Americans stated that alcohol made them feel
funny. This applies for a quarter of Europeans. The corresponding figure for
Germany is well above average, with a total of 41% expressing that they
feel funny under the influence of alcohol.
Around one out of four American respondents believes that alcohol makes
people friendlier. In Europe, only one in six respondents agreed with this
statement. Hardly any respondents expected alcohol to have a positive
effect on their sensuality. Only 3% of all respondents feel amorous when
they have been drinking. By contrast, one out of ten Europeans and one in
six Americans feel tired after consuming alcohol.
The statements made about the negative effects of alcohol consumption are
noteworthy. Almost three out of ten Europeans indicated that they only start
to feel a negative physical or mental effect after drinking five units of
alcohol, which corresponds to five glasses of beer, schnapps or wine. Two in
ten assume that three units are sufficient to make them feel worse and 12%
stated that they feel a negative physical or mental impact after two glasses.

Page 3 of 4

The survey
In autumn 2008, GfK Custom Research surveyed a total of 17,343
respondents aged 14 or over in 17 countries on behalf of The Wall Street
Journal Europe and with financial support from GfK-Nrnberg e.V. for the
international Alcohol consumption study. Key aspects examined include
alcohol consumption, preferences and drinking habits as well as the physical
and psychological effects of alcohol consumption.
Further information:
Mark Hofmans, GfK Custom Research DTC, tel. + 32 2 47528-00,
Fax + 32 2 47528-02, mark.hofmans@gfk.com, or
Sandra Lades, GfK Custom Research, tel. +49 911-395-3606,
sandra.lades@gfk.com
The Wall Street Journal Europe (www.wsj.com)
The Wall Street Journal Europe, headquartered in Brussels, was established
in 1983. It is part of the leading global news group which includes the Wall
Street Journal, the Wall Street Journal Asia and Wall Street Journal Online,
the biggest subscription-based online news website in the world. The
overall circulation of the various formats of the Wall Street Journal exceeds
2.7 million. Its readership includes leading economic and political figures all
over the world. The Wall Street Journal Europe has the biggest global
network of financial and economic journalists in the world, comprising
around 1,900 journalists, of whom 370 are based in Europe, the Middle East
and Africa.
Further information: Huss-PR-Consult, Judith Huss,
Tel. + 49 89 6494-5570, fax: + 49 89 6494-5572,
judith.huss@hussprconsult.de
The GfK Group
The GfK Group is the No. 4 market research organization worldwide. Its
activities cover the three business sectors of Custom Research, Retail and
Technology and Media. The Group has 115 companies covering over 100
countries. Of around 10,000 employees (as of September 30, 2008), more
than 80% are based outside Germany. For further information, visit our
website: www.gfk.com.
Responsible under press legislation:
GfK AG, Corporate Communications
Marion Eisenbltter
Nordwestring 101
D-90319 Nuremberg
Tel. + 49 911 395-2645
Fax + 49 911 395-4041
public.relations@gfk.com

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