[위클리 리포트] Prohibition culture spreading among MZ generation
“Do I really have to drink alcohol?” Questions Begin… Alcohol Abuse Phenomenon Increasing Worldwide
OECD Per Capita Alcohol Consumption Declines… 4 Out of 10 Americans Aged 18-34 Abstain from Alcohol
Mainstream companies develop non-alcoholic and low-alcohol products… Various festivals create ‘non-alcoholic spaces’
“Market growth expected to be 7% per year until 2027”
《“Alcohol is not hip” MZ generation’s abstinence culture ‘Sober Curious’ trend
The ‘Sober Curious’ craze is spreading among young people at home and abroad. It is a combination of the adjective ‘sober’ and the word ‘curious’, meaning ‘curiosity about not being drunk.’ The MZ generation who practice Sober Curious say, “I woke up with a clear mind in the morning and got a healthy body.” They also promote the abstinence challenge and encourage participation through social network services (SNS). As alcohol consumption decreases, the liquor industry is introducing non-alcoholic and low-alcohol liquors.
# Manager Kim (31), who has been working for 8 years, has been abstaining from alcohol for over 3 months since last spring. Manager Kim, who used to drink 4-5 times a week for work and appointments, decided to quit drinking altogether after his health checkup results came out poor. Manager Kim said, “There are many benefits to ‘living without alcohol,’ such as feeling clear-headed every morning,” and “With abstaining from alcohol becoming popular, there has been a significant increase in gatherings where we end without drinking when meeting up with friends.”
# Sales manager Joo Mo (29), who is in his fourth year of sales, has been abstinent from alcohol for two months with three members of a tennis club. He said that while talking about alcohol at a tennis club that he started for health and diet, the idea of quitting drinking together came up. Manager Joo said, “I wanted to cut down on drinking, but I failed several times on my own, but I feel a sense of solidarity when I do it with others.”
The sober-curious trend, which originated from the question of “Do I really have to drink alcohol?” is rapidly spreading among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z). A culture of not drinking alcohol is spreading in everyday life and social life. Sober-curious, which has become a social movement, is growing in influence beyond everyday life and even changing the marketing strategies of alcohol companies.
● “Healthier than alcohol”… Spreading abstinence culture
Sober Curious is a word that combines the word “sober,” meaning “not drunk,” and “curious.” Sober Curious began with the question of whether it was necessary to drink alcohol that was not good for one’s health.
There are no specific criteria for being Sober Curious. The mindset is more important. Forbes, an American business magazine, explained that being Sober Curious is “the key to being fully aware of and thinking about the effects of alcohol on the body and mind.” Instead of strictly measuring how much you drank, asking yourself if you have a reason to drink is the beginning of being Sober Curious.
In the United States, where Sober Curious had been spreading even before the pandemic, Sober Curious has now become a social phenomenon. If you search for “Sober Curious” on social media such as TikTok and YouTube, you can easily find self-confession videos about abstinence from alcohol, such as “Why I decided to quit drinking” and “Review of N days of abstinence.” In the comment section, there is active communication, such as posting “N months of abstinence” and encouraging and supporting each other in practicing abstinence from alcohol. Koo Jeong-woo, a professor of sociology at Sungkyunkwan University, said, “Self-confession and healing, which used to only take place in small gatherings of addicts, are spreading more quickly as they move to the digital environment.”
In Korea, where Sober Curious became popular somewhat later than in the US, there is analysis that the increase in the number of exercisers has also had an impact. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the participation rate in recreational sports, which involves exercising for more than 30 minutes once a week, increased from 35.0% in 2012 to 52.0% last year. A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official explained, “The number of recreational sports participants has increased due to the increase in the bodybuilding population, especially among those in their 30s.”
Office worker Yu Mo (30), who used to drink two to three times a week until her 20s, has been abstinent since she started weight training last year. Yu said, “I quit drinking after hearing that muscles are consumed in the process of breaking down alcohol,” and “At company dinners or gatherings with friends, my friends who work out don’t drink for similar reasons.”
● Declining trend in global alcohol consumption
Due to the popularity of Sober Curious, global alcohol consumption is on an overall decline. The average annual alcohol consumption per person in OECD member countries decreased from 9.0L in 2011 to 8.6L in 2019, just before the pandemic. Korea also decreased from 8.9L to 8.3L during the same period. After the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), alcohol consumption temporarily increased as people spent more time at home, but it has since declined. Alcohol production is also decreasing. According to the National Tax Service, domestic alcohol shipments have been on an overall decline since 2015.
Even in countries famous for their alcohol, the phenomenon of ‘alcohol avoidance’ is appearing, especially among the young generation. According to the German Statistical Office, domestic beer sales in 2023 will be 8.38 billion liters, a 25.2% decrease from 1993 sales. In Japan, beer consumption has decreased to 25% of 30 years ago.
The decline in alcohol consumption is being led by the MZ generation. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the percentage of people in the U.S. aged 18 to 34 who responded that they drink alcohol last year was 62%, down about 10 percentage points from 20 years ago. According to a recent survey by the Japanese polling agency Big Robe, about 80% of Japanese aged 20 to 24 responded that they “normally do not want to drink alcohol.”
On the other hand, there are opinions that it is not appropriate to look at the drinking culture itself only negatively. Professor Koo said, “If used appropriately, drinking can be a good means of socializing,” and “It should be left to the individual’s choice, but it should not lead to an atmosphere where drinking is completely taboo.”
● ‘Non-alcoholic’ or ‘tasty alcohol’ is on the rise
With the Sober Curious trend, mainstream companies are turning their attention to non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages. Japan, which first launched a beer-flavored carbonated beverage in 2008, has since seen major manufacturers such as Asahi and Kirin launch non-alcoholic beers.
The non-alcohol trend is spreading even in festivals where alcohol is mainly consumed. The Thai government promoted an ‘alcohol-free festival’ by designating an alcohol-free zone at the ‘Songkran’ festival, the largest festival of the year held in April this year. Germany’s representative beer festival, Oktoberfest, is also creating a non-alcohol beer-only area for the first time this year.
Liquor companies that used festivals to promote their products have started marketing to capture non-alcoholic consumers. Tsingtao beer focused on promoting related products by excluding all of its existing lineup and sponsoring only non-alcoholic products at the Hip Hop Playa Festival 2023 held in Seoul last year.
The related market is also growing steadily. According to market research firm IWRS, the global no- and low-alcohol market grew by about 5% annually from 2018 to 2022, and is expected to grow by an average of 7% annually until 2027. Consumers who cannot give up alcohol are also looking for ‘tasty alcohol’. Instead of the uniform consumption of alcohol, which was largely divided into soju and beer, the number of consumers looking for various types of alcohol, such as traditional liquor, wine, and distilled liquor is increasing. According to aT, the monthly average consumption of beer and soju last year decreased by 2.1% and 6.4%, respectively, compared to five years ago. On the other hand, the consumption of traditional liquor and other liquors increased during the same period. An official from the liquor industry explained, “This is because the trend has changed to a culture that enjoys the taste and atmosphere of alcohol.”
Eun-hee Lee, a professor of consumer science at Inha University, said, “The current trend in alcohol consumption reflects the MZ generation’s interest in health and preferences,” adding, “As the number of people who do not drink alcohol increases, the phenomenon of the remaining drinking population not getting drunk will continue.”
2024-09-01 09:14:44