Pages

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

David Farrar: Alcohol consumption plummeting


The chart below is from Stats NZ data. Despite what some alarmists would claim, the level of alcohol being consumed in NZ is plummeting, not increasing. There are problems with a minority who abuse alcohol and cause harm, but that doesn’t mean that there is an overall problem.Since 1986, alcohol available for consumption per capita has dropped by a massive 29%


Click to view

Since 2008, it has dropped 18%

In the last year it has dropped 12%

Will media cover this massive drop?

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Typical Government Hogwash:
Should say something like "Tax on alcohol has dropped while the black market thrives". The same applies to tobacco. Excise and tax are no way to gauge usage, in fact the opposite is true. A reduction in income from alcohol actually just shows that the tax/excise has breached the Laffer Curve. Ditto tobacco.

Basil Walker said...

David ,I believe that is an unreasonable assumption of the drinking habits of the media, however I am sure they would give it a good effort if someone else was paying

Barend Vlaardingerbroek said...

>"Since 1986, alcohol available for consumption per capita has dropped by a massive 29%."
What does 'available for consumption' mean? And how does it relate to the title about consumption dropping?
I am a dab hand at stats at the research level and am interested in knowing exactly what is being said here.

Robert Arthur said...

Curious about this. The drink drive enforcement a huge factor but has applied for a long time now. Have other drugs replaced? (as current murder or suicide court case) Is the risk of being photographed tiddly the risk? Is the risk of actionable behaviour or cancellation earning utterance too great? Are bar room drinks too expensive, so with less compatible company at home persons drink less? Is TV so tedious that very few watch for hours and imbibe at same time? Do rent and housing costs force moderation on many? Does the expectation to respond to the boss at all hours call for a permanent sober state? Now that partners can so easily and expensively depart do spouses try hard to avoid obnoxious states?.just how many islamics have we let in lately?
My Polynesian/maori near neighbour partying renters certainly consume their share (and several times mine). Possibly many of their visitors live cheap in state units.

Anonymous said...

Similar reports also suggest it has decreased amongst young people. Apparently pre-gaming and binge drinking are no longer a thing. Probably because the researchers have no teenagers in their lives, or if they do, the kids are just better at hiding it. Bit like vaping and drugs - apparently prescription Ritalin is the new high!