What are the characteristics of households that purchase alcohol‐free and low‐alcohol drinks in Great Britain in 2018 and 2021?

Introduction

The increasing popularity of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (NoLo) drinks could reduce alcohol-related harm if those at greatest risk replace their standard alcoholic drinks with these products. This paper aimed to identify: (i) characteristics associated with occasional purchase of NoLo drinks in Great Britain in 2021; and (ii) whether these characteristics changed between 2018 and 2021.

Methods

Logistic regression using data from Worldpanel by Numerator dataset detailing alcoholic and NoLo drink purchases in the off-trade (i.e., shops) by households in Great Britain in 2018 (n = 14,702) and 2021 (n = 15,257). The primary outcome was occasional NoLo purchasing (≥ 4 times in the past year), and secondary outcomes were occasional NoLo beer, cider or wine purchasing.

Results In 2021, 5.7% of households purchased NoLo ≥ 4 in the past year, compared to 3.0% in 2018. In 2021, these households were more likely to be alcohol purchasers than non-purchasers [low-risk purchasers (≤ 112 g per week): OR = 7.11, p < 0.001; increasing risk (113–280 g per week): OR = 10.72, p < 0.001; higher risk (> 280 g per week): OR = 12.10, p < 0.001] and less likely to be from lower social grades than grade AB (Grade C2: OR = 0.72, p = 0.008; Grade D: OR = 0.58, p < 0.001; Grade E: OR = 0.46, p < 0.001). Results were similar for occasional purchasers of NoLo beer, but there was no significant association with social grade for purchasing NoLo cider or wine. The characteristics associated with occasional NoLo purchasing did not change significantly between 2018 and 2021.

Discussion and Conclusions

Households from higher social grades who purchase more alcohol are more likely to regularly purchase NoLo products.

Key Point Summary

In 2021, 5.7% of households in the panel dataset in Great Britain purchased no- and low-alcohol drinks (NoLo) four or more times a year.

These households were more likely to purchase standard alcoholic drinks, with those households buying the most alcohol most likely to purchase NoLo drinks.

Households occasionally purchasing NoLo drinks were less likely to be from lower social grades.

Households occasionally purchasing NoLo beer were also more likely to purchase alcohol and less likely to be from lower social grades; however, only purchase of alcohol remained significant for purchasers of NoLo cider and wine.

The characteristics of occasional NoLo purchasing households did not significantly change between 2018 and 2021.