Examining changes in the prevalence of cost‐motivated alcohol reduction attempts in the context of a cost‐of‐living crisis and alcohol duty reforms: a population survey of risky drinkers in Great Britain, 2021–2024

Background and aims

Affordability of alcohol is a key driver of consumption. The cost-of-living crisis in Great Britain has been putting pressure on household budgets since late 2021. In addition, the UK Government implemented substantial reforms to the alcohol duty system and increased alcohol taxes in 2023. This study aimed to estimate changes in the monthly prevalence of cost-motivated alcohol reduction attempts among risky drinkers over this period.

Design

Data were drawn from the Alcohol Toolkit Study, a nationally representative monthly cross-sectional household survey.

Setting

Great Britain.

Participants

26 212 risky drinkers [alcohol use disorders identification test – consumption (AUDIT-C) score ≥5] aged ≥18y surveyed between January 2021 and December 2024 [mean (SD) age = 45.9 (17.1); 61.4% men].

Measurements

The primary outcome was having tried to reduce alcohol consumption in the past year due to a decision that drinking was too expensive (‘cost-motivated alcohol reduction attempt’). This included participants who also reported other motives (e.g. health concerns) for trying to reduce their consumption.

Findings

Overall, 1355 participants reported making a cost-motivated alcohol reduction attempt. The monthly weighted prevalence of cost-motivated alcohol reduction attempts among risky drinkers increased from 4.6% in January 2021 to 7.0% in December 2024 [prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.34–1.74]; equating to ~1.1 million people attempting to reduce their drinking among risky drinkers in 2024. This was primarily driven by a rise in the proportion of all alcohol reduction attempts that were motivated by cost, from 12.4% to 19.7% (PR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.39–1.77), rather than an overall increase in the prevalence of alcohol reduction attempts (which remained relatively stable across the period at an average of 36.0%). The pattern of results was similar when the outcome was restricted to alcohol reduction attempts only motivated by cost [17.3% (95% CI = 15.0–19.7%) of all cost-motivated alcohol reduction attempts].

Conclusions

During a period of increasing financial pressures in Great Britain, alcohol reduction attempts were increasingly motivated by cost but the overall prevalence of reduction attempts did not increase.