A new report has been published this month which claims that millennials are increasingly more inclined to swap pints of beer for wheatgrass shots and prioritise wellness over intoxication.
The report, entitled 'Brighter Futures: Challenging perceptions of Millennials', was carried out by Eventbrite and surveyed 1,023 British men and women aged between 21 and 37 who have at least been to one festival, gig, or night out in the last year.
And the results are pretty suprising.
While the report found that millennials have an increased desire for diversity and wellness, one finding that caught our attention was how vastly different Generation Y views alcohol in comparison to three years ago.
According to the report, the average millennial consumes just five units of alcohol a week (two pints of beer or two glasses of wine), while the national guidelines recommends adults drink no more than 14 units a week.
Forty-two per cent of millennials admitted to drinking less alcohol than they were three years ago, with 25 per cent revealing they'd prefer to spend their money on other things.
One if five of us are reportedly willing to go teetotal in order to fund more events and festivals, while 70 per cent are more likely to brag about how long it's been since we drank alcohol than how much we last drank.
And apparently 59 per cent of millennials haven't drunk alcohol at an event or festival at least once and only one in ten of us see getting drunk as 'cool'.
Now, while these findings might suggest Generation Y are all health-conscious, yoga-obsessed, mindfulness beings who are more likely to nibble on an avocado on a night out than a kebab, we must point out the reason behind this phenomenon might be due to the simple fact that splashing the cash on a round of drinks is so blummin' expensive nowadays.
Seriously, a G&T for £8? No, thanks.
Of course, the rise and popularity of wellness lifestyles such as veganism, sugar detoxing and cryotherapy over the years might explain our growing preference to get fit and healthy rather than enjoying hedonistic nights out on the lash.
But, in reality, the average millenial is more likely to be prioritise their finances for experiences such as festivals and holidays, or tangible purchases such as house deposits and furniture as a result of rising rent prices and the difficulties of finding a job.
Cheers to that!
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
