Gen Z for zero tolerance: why British youth are turning off booze

Alcohol consumption among 16- to 24-year-olds is falling. So what is behind this new temperance?

It appears that young people are not drinking alcohol like they used to. And when I say they", I probably mean we". According to the alcohol education charity Drinkaware, after the surge of alcohol consumption during lockdown, there has been a general decline in drinking: older people are still most likely to drink, while those least likely to drink are aged 16 to 24, with 26% of that age group fully teetotal.

This trend for British youth shunning alcohol has been bubbling away for some time, but more than a quarter of young people teetotal? While I in no way seek to glorify heavy drinking, or diminish the tragic effects of alcoholism, that is a lot of sober youth.