How do Poles drink and party? Before the pandemic, vodka and beer, now wine

When it comes to researching the amount of alcohol consumed by Poles, an important point of reference is the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. As experts say, it has re-evaluated the alcoholic beverages market, not only in Poland. It is too early to summarize the changes in our preferences as to the type and amount of alcohol, but the statistical data already shows that there is a new one.

1. Since 1998, beer in Poland dethroned the most popular drink to date – vodka
2. Between 2010 and 2019, the percentage of Poles reporting frequent drinking decreased slightly. However, there were also fewer abstainers
3. Over the years, more and more women have started using alcohol
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5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

What do Poles drink? Before the pandemic – beer and vodka

Every few years WHO publishes comprehensive reports on the world’s alcohol consumption and its impact on health. The last one was released in 2018 and covered the years 2010-2016.

Here’s what we can read about us:

1. In 2016, the consumption of pure alcohol per capita in Poland in the population over 15 years old was 11,6 liters. Compared to 2010, we recorded an increase of 0,2 l.
2. The consumption of unregistered alcohol also increased from 1,5 to 1,7 l per capita in this period. It is mainly about high-alcohol drinks.
3. Poles most willingly used beer (55-56% of consumption), spirits – (36%) and wine (8-9%).
4. In the discussed period, the group of abstainers decreased by half from 27,3%. in 2010 to 13,5 percent. in 2016
5. The number of people addicted to alcohol also decreased – from 4,4 to 2,2 percent. Potential life years lost through drinking (YLL) fell from 5 to 4.
6. The data also show lower mortality from alcohol-related disease and road accidents. On the other hand, the percentage of alcohol-related diseases increased from 8,3 to 12,8%.

The WHO report also included information on the factors contributing to harmful alcohol consumption. These are:

1. the amount of alcohol you drink
2. drinking frequency
3. drinking patterns – occasional and regular binge drinking (HED – heavy episodic drinking)
4. social context, especially if it has an impact on increasing threats to public life
5. quality of alcoholic beverages.

According to the State Agency for Solving Alcohol Problems, harmful consumption is 18,6 percent. Poles drinking. In this percentage, 11,3 percent. he drinks risky, i.e. from 6 to 12 liters of pure ethanol per year (nearly a quarter of all alcohol consumed). On the other hand, 7,3 percent. abuses alcohol by drinking more than 12 liters of pure ethanol per year.

Further part below the video.

Polish drinking to the European average

The WHO report says that in terms of the volume of pure alcohol consumption, we are 17th out of 43 European countries monitored. Austrians, Estonians and Swiss drink the same amount. The leaders in consumption are the inhabitants of Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and Latvia. The French and the Germans also drink above the EU average. The average consumption of alcohol in Europe was around 11 liters per capita.

Between 2010 and 2016, per capita consumption of pure alcohol in the population of 15+ in European countries decreased. Among the countries where the decline was the largest – by more than 2 liters, no country improved its YLL, which measures the years of life potentially lost by drinking. This group includes: Moldova, Our Country, Belarus and Ukraine. They are linked by a very high share of spirit drinks in the consumption structure (up to 52%) and a high percentage of binge drinkers. At the same time, the data show that 15 countries saw an increase in consumption of pure alcohol, yet YLL indicators did not deteriorate, and in 13 of them even improved.

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In the group of countries with a similar level of consumption of pure alcohol per capita (between 11 and 12 liters), next to Poland, there were 11 countries with a different consumption structure, therefore each of them has a different YLL index. The indicator at the level of 5, i.e. the worst, was calculated for Our Country, Estonia and Belarus, and at the level of 2 for Austria, Switzerland and Great Britain. In these countries, mainly beer and wine are drunk, and spirits account for 15 to 22 percent. consumption.

In the last three decades, the structure and manner of alcohol consumption have changed in our country, and the consumption of beer has increased. In 1998, Poland ceased to be a “vodka” country, and beer became the leader. Since 2012, beer consumption in Poland has remained constant at 98-99 liters per capita per year, which put us in fourth place in the European Union. The Czechs drank the most – 138 liters, followed by Austrians and Germans – 105 and 101 liters per capita, respectively.

The consumption of vodka and spirits was at the level of 8,3-8,8 l per capita per year (vodka alone is 5,5 l), which placed us in the top ten countries with the highest consumption of these drinks, next to Our Country, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In 2012, we belonged to the group of European countries with the lowest wine consumption – approx. 7 liters per capita per year.

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We drank flavored beers more willingly than cognacs

The CBOS report from December 2019 states that 56 percent. Poles declare that they drink alcohol occasionally, 8 percent. consumes it often, and 33 percent. Avoids drinking or drinking alcohol at all. Compared to the 2010 survey, the percentage of people declaring frequent drinking decreased slightly (from 11 to 8%), although the number of abstainers also decreased (from 22 to 16%). Also, more people used alcohol occasionally, but not often (from 50% to 56%). This percentage is the highest since the beginning of CBOS research.

Women were twice as likely to say that they did not drink at all than men. Among men, the percentage of abstainers was 10%, and among women 21. In 2010, almost every third woman declared that she never consumed alcohol in her mouth, so over the years the consumption of alcohol among women has been growing.

Poles aged 25-34 drink most often. 7 percent of this group are abstinent, 65 percent. consumes alcohol occasionally, and 9 percent. – often. This time there was no age group in which more people declared abstinence than drinking. The highest percentage of drinking women is recorded in the age group of 25-34 (93%), and men – 45-54 (99%).

Unskilled, unemployed and self-employed workers drink the most frequently. People identifying with the left are more likely to admit that they drink often (13%), while respondents with right-wing views declare frequent drinking by half as often.

Beer is still the most consumed alcohol, but since 2010 we have been drinking less and less of it. Wine comes second and vodka comes third. The percentage of people most willingly choosing wine is growing, while the greatest increase is in high-quality alcohol (cognac, whiskey, etc.).

Men prefer beer (56%) and women prefer wine (45%). Among professional groups, unskilled and skilled workers drink beer at least once a week. On the other hand, high-quality alcohol, such as cognac or whiskey, is most often chosen by 11 percent. representatives of both sexes. Beer reigns supreme in the youngest group of respondents (18–24 years) (63%). Meanwhile, in the 25-34 age group, it is chosen less often (39%), followed by wine (31%).

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Among people over 45, every third respondent declares that they most often drink beer, additionally there is an increase in vodka consumption. It reaches 22 percent. respondents aged 55-64 and 26 percent. over 65 years of age. Vodka is drunk at least once a week by two out of one hundred respondents, 22 percent. at least once a month, and 39 percent. several times a year. 29 percent don’t drink vodka at all. Vodka is drunk at least once a month by skilled and unskilled workers (47-50%), farmers (45%) and young people (31% of Poles aged 18-24).

High-quality alcohols are most often chosen by the self-employed, 36 percent. at least once a month. The frequency of drinking high-quality alcohol increases with the size of the place of residence. The respondents with the highest income drink it significantly more often than the rest.

The respondents admitted drinking daily or almost daily drinking only in the case of beer. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to capture people who have a serious alcohol problem. Therefore, these data should not be treated as an accurate reflection of reality.

Beer is drunk at least once a week by 43 percent. men and only 7 percent. women. 25% of them reach for them at least once a week. drinking respondents, and 30 percent. he drinks them once or several times a month. 19 percent he doesn’t drink it at all.

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3% of respondents admitted to consuming wine at least once a week. drinkers. Of which 26 percent. drink them once or several times a month, while 36 percent. uses them several times a year. 31 percent don’t drink wine at all.

Wine is more often chosen by residents of cities with more than half a million inhabitants, people with higher education, as well as the best-off (41% of respondents with incomes above PLN 3 per family member). Among the professional groups, wine is more often drunk by representatives of management staff and specialists with higher education (47%), administrative and office workers (45%) and those working in services (46%); Farmers and pensioners are the least frequent. About half of the housewives also drink wine most often.

More than half of the drinkers of the respondents did not reach for cognac or whiskey. One in a hundred declared drinking high-quality alcohol at least once a week.

Flavored beers, radlers and ciders were consumed slightly more often – 3%. of the respondents reported that they drink it once a week or more. 57 percent Poles who are not abstinent never reach for such fancy alcoholic beverages. Flavored beers, radlers or ciders are most often drunk by young people aged 18–34. Among the professional groups, they are mainly representatives of middle staff: technicians and service sector workers, but also schoolchildren and students.

A high percentage of Poles reject flavored vodkas (68%), they are most often drunk by young people (12% aged 18-34) and unskilled workers (12%).

9% admitted to consuming spirits in small bottles (so-called monkeys). respondents, declaring that it happens once or several times a year (4%). Only two out of a hundred respondents said that they drink monkey vodka at least once a month. Men between 18 and 24 years of age, mainly workers, most often admit to the consumption of spirits in small bottles.

44% of alcoholic drinks or cocktails were drunk. people who consume alcohol. The most common answer chosen is “once or several times a year” (28%). Alcoholic drinks and cocktails were used by employees of the service sector (26% drink them once a month or more), unskilled workers (24%) and people aged 18-24 (19%).

How do Poles drink? We like to drink in the company and on the weekend

In 2019, CBOS reported that almost three out of four people who happen to drink alcohol consume it at home (74 percent). Much less does it in a pub or bar (9%) or in a restaurant (8%). However, the popularity of the latter has increased significantly compared to 2010. In the restaurant, alcohol is consumed by the highest-income respondents, associate professionals, technicians as well as managers and specialists with higher education. Almost no one admits to drinking at work or on the way to work.

Poles usually drink with friends (49%) or family (48%) and this does not change. Pupils and students as well as people aged 35-44 drink with friends most often, while farmers, people over 65 and retirees drink with their family. The percentage of Poles declaring that they drink alone (4%) is worrying, especially as these are people who perceive the conditions of their household as bad.

We can find some more details in an earlier CBOS study from 2017. It was conducted on a sample of 1309 adult respondents who answered questions about their drinking style and motivation.

In the case of beer and wine, the average drinking time is usually two hours, and about 35% on Friday and Saturday. the occasion to drink these liquors. They are consumed in close groups of up to three people, unlike vodka, which is always drunk in a larger group. Drinking vodka usually consists of three-hour sessions accumulated during weekends (47% of opportunities to drink this drink).

Poles most often drank beer while watching TV, relaxing and during social gatherings – together they account for 84,5 percent. occasion to drink beer. We reached for beer: for taste, relaxation and to quench our thirst. We did not seek “percentages” in it, nor did we celebrate great occasions with it. The men generally drank among themselves, and the ladies drank in mixed company or in a group with a predominance of women. During one beer meeting, we drank from two to three 0,5-liter bottles on average. Beer consumption does not rise sharply on weekends. Average consumption for the entire week remains at the level of 2-3 beers on one occasion.

We drank wine most often during social gatherings, rest and with a meal – 75,2 percent. opportunities to consume this drink. We used them because of: taste, relaxation and matching to the meal. During one drinking situation, we drank about four 100 ml lamps. During the weekend, twice as many as on weekdays. The amount of wine consumed on one occasion was independent of age. This is what makes them different from beer and vodka, the consumption of which declines with age.

We drank vodka in three situations: social gathering, celebration of the occasion as well as rest and relaxation – 76,4 percent. drinking situation. We used it most often to have fun in the company, celebrate and relax. The men drank mostly in a male group, and the women in a mixed group. While drinking vodka, we drink the most pure alcohol – about 11 glasses with a capacity of 30 ml. Vodka consumers were also inclined to mix alcoholic beverages, treating the weaker ones as an aperitif. In this situation, they drank much more at one time. In the case of vodka, the largest differences in the amount of consumption can also be seen depending on the occasion and the time of day. We drank the most at one time on days off and during social gatherings. Young people also drank more vodka – about 13-15 glasses on one occasion in the group of 18-30 years old.

In terms of drinking style, there were marked differences between men and women. Men got drunk more often. Young people up to the age of 30 were also more likely to get drunk. We were most often drunk with vodka (65,7%), regardless of gender, age and the type of alcohol we prefer every day. Women were four times more likely to get drunk with wine than men.

Among the participants of the study, respondents who drink hazardous and noxiously according to the WHO definition, which takes into account two aspects of such drinking: the frequency and amount of alcohol consumed.

The problem of problem drinking was reported by 14,8 percent. people. This problem was more common among those declaring drinking vodka (16,4%), beer (16,2%) and wine (13,9%). Among those who drink more than once a month, the percentage of hazardous and harmful drinkers is definitely increasing.

Risky drinkers got drunk at least once a week, mostly vodka (57,1%). They drank an average of over half a liter of vodka. The majority of risky vodka drinkers became deeply intoxicated – 83,3 percent.

During the pandemic, we were more willing to give up beer, but not wine

The Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported that in 2020 a statistical Pole drank more wine and honey and less beer, while vodka consumption remained unchanged. It was, respectively, 6,4 liters of wine and meads, 93,6 liters of beer and 3,7 liters of vodkas, liqueurs and other spirits. Beer consumption in Poland in 2020 was the lowest in 10 years.

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According to the Nielsen agency data, deliveries of high-percentage spirits per pure alcohol dropped by 2020 percent in 6,1. compared to 2019. Deliveries of pure vodka alone decreased by 11,8 percent. In turn, wines and meads grew by 1,8 percent. On the other hand, deliveries of malt beer with an alcohol strength of 0,5 percent. and more fell by 3,4 percent. Nielsen also announced that we spent PLN 39,2 billion on alcohol, i.e. by 7 percent. more than a year earlier, although we purchased less in quantity. The largest increases were recorded by whiskey, gin, rum and tequila.

At the end of 2020, “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna”, citing the research of the Nielsen agency, wrote that it was mainly strong alcohol that fueled the Polish market. We focused on premium alcohols, the society grew richer, and the drinking culture changed as well. This, in turn, may translate into behavior after drinking. The police said that in 2020 the number of people suspected of using domestic violence under the influence of alcohol decreased. “Dziennik” also reports that fewer people ended up in sobering-up stations.

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The pandemic meant for Poles the closure of gastronomy, restrictions on the organization of mass events and weddings, changes in lifestyle and the way of shopping. Alcohol industry experts indicate that the rampant COVID-19 did not harm wine consumption. Poles, unlike citizens of Western countries, where wines dominate in restaurants, buy them in shops with the intention of drinking them at home. And we stayed at home much longer. We also drank more expensive wines, such as: prosecco, champagne, asti and cava. We have also been observing an increase in the popularity of whiskey for over a decade. The pandemic did not stop this trend, or even accelerated it. At the same time, she made us stop drinking ready-made drinks. The explanation here is the weather, no possibility of meetings and restrictions.

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