Mark Dolliver: Drinking Data

It’s a constant of life that people in their 20s do a disproportionate amount of the nation’s drinking. The type of alcohol they consume is less of a constant, judging by a report from the Nielsen Co. (Adweek’s parent company).

As the chart shows, beer gets less than half of 21-30-year-olds’ spending on alcoholic beverages. As recently as 1997, people this age spent 59 percent of their drinks dollars on beer, with spirits getting 21 percent and wine 20 percent.