Ep 13: Is Gen Z Really So Different When It Comes to Alcohol?

It’s the question of the moment: why is Gen Z drinking less alcohol? Academics are wondering, banks are wondering, and the drinks trade doesn’t know what to think.

In the first episode of a two-part deep dive, Felicity and Lulie tackle this hotly debated question head one. In Part One, they examine a major new academic study, Young People, Alcohol and Risk: A Culture of Caution, which argues that Gen Z's attitudes to alcohol mark a generational shift, not just a life stage delay. 

From risk-aversion to the rise of the Clean Girl Aesthetic, this episode explores what might be behind the dramatic fall in drinking across high-income countries — and whether it's really as new as people think. Along the way, expect Lidl wine tastings, boxing metaphors, rage-baiting influencers, and a brief moment of intergenerational defensiveness.

This episode covers:

• A major new academic study argues that Gen Z is fundamentally different from previous generations in how they perceive alcohol.
  
  
• The clash between cohort theory (generational difference) and life stage theory (age-based behaviour).
  
  
• Who is Gen Z? Two sub-groups are defined: those born 1995–2002 and those born 2002–2012, with markedly different digital and social upbringings.
  
  
• An overview of the level of fall in high-income countries like Australia, Sweden, and the UK, with researchers linking this to cultural change.
  
  
• The role of risk aversion as the defining trait of Gen Z.
  
  
• The rise of the “clean girl” aesthetic and Trad Wife content points to a cultural pull toward order, discipline, and nostalgia.
  
  
• Gen Z is also more emotionally distressed than earlier cohorts, with higher rates of anxiety and depression shaping lifestyle decisions.
  
  
• The study finds that Gen Z often views intoxication as inauthentic, with alcohol seen as a way to mask the ‘real self.’
  
  
• While individual behaviour varies, the academic consensus is that this generation’s ambivalence toward alcohol reflects deeper structural shifts.
  
  
• Lulie has questions about all of this. Big questions.

Got a question for us? Email us at [email protected] and it might just become our next episode.

Meet Your Hosts:

Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years.

Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor, speaker trainer and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.