One in five British beer drinkers consume 14 or more units of alcohol per week

Key findings:

• Beer is the most commonly consumed alcohol type among British adults who drink, with 38% saying it is the alcoholic drink they consume most often, ahead of wine (31%).
• Beer drinkers are more likely than those who favour other alcohol types to consume 14 or more units of alcohol per week (21% vs 12%).
• Beer drinkers are also less likely to report consuming no alcohol in a typical week (13% vs 21%).

From pints at the pub to supermarket multipacks, beer has long held a prominent place in British drinking culture. New data from YouGov Profiles sheds light on how popular beer is, and how many units British beer drinkers consume per week.

Beer is Britain's most commonly consumed alcohol type

Among British adults who drink alcohol, beer is the most commonly consumed type of alcohol. Nearly four in ten (38%) say beer is the alcoholic drink they consume most often. While one in three Brits say that are drinking less this year, beer is still a standout choice for British drinkers.

Wine follows closely behind, with 31% naming it as their most frequently consumed alcoholic drink. Cider (14%) and liquor (10%) make up the next largest groups, while ready-to-drink cocktails (4%), infused liquors (1%) account for relatively small shares of drinkers.

Beer drinkers are more likely to consume higher volumes of alcohol

The most notable difference between beer drinkers and those who favour other alcohol types emerges at the higher end of alcohol consumption.

One in five people who say beer is the alcohol they drink most often (21%) report consuming 14 or more units of alcohol in an average week. Among those who primarily drink other types of alcohol, the figure stands at 12%, a nine-point difference.

Beer drinkers are also twice as likely as other drinkers to consume 10 units per week (10% vs 5%) and are also more likely to report drinking eight units (5% vs 2%).

At the other end of the spectrum, beer drinkers are less likely to report consuming no alcohol in a typical week. Around one in eight (13%) say they drink no alcohol in an average week, compared with around one in five (21%) among those who most often drink wine, cider, liquor, ready-to-drink cocktails, infused liquors or hard seltzers.

Methodology: 

YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between June 2025 – June 2026, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in Great Britain and weighted by age, gender, region, education, and social grade.

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