Beer gardens and boozy barbecues are no longer the default image of the British summer, according to new research suggesting that younger adults are reshaping social life around moderation, wellbeing and alcohol-free choices. The survey found that 29% of UK adults are drinking less alcohol than in previous summers, while 53% would now rather meet for coffee, a walk or a wellness activity than go to pubs or bars.

The biggest change is among younger adults. More than half of 18 to 34-year-olds questioned said they want to try wellness experiences such as hot Pilates, sauna sessions and ice baths this summer, compared with 21% of those aged 45 and over. The same age group is also far more likely to choose alcohol-free drinks with added health or functional benefits when socialising, with 53% saying they do so, almost double the figure for adults aged 45 and above.

That shift fits with wider industry evidence that mindful drinking has become mainstream rather than niche. Drinkaware’s 2024 Monitor found that 90% of UK drinkers are trying to moderate in some way, while 81% drink within the chief medical officers’ low-risk guideline of 14 units a week. The British Institute of Innkeeping has also said 6.2 million UK adults will actively moderate their alcohol intake this summer, with more than one in three pub and restaurant visits now alcohol-free.

The trend is strongest among younger consumers. Research cited by the spirits industry publication The Spirits Business found nearly half of regular late-night pub-goers do not drink alcohol, while a YouGov survey commissioned by the Portman Group indicated that low- and no-alcohol products are now used semi-regularly by more than a third of UK drinkers, with the highest uptake among 18 to 34-year-olds. House of Commons Library figures meanwhile show alcohol remains common in England, with 76% of adults reporting that they drink, underlining that the change is not a retreat from socialising, but a shift in how people choose to do it.

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