In the 12 months to June 2006, 73.6% of adult Australians had consumed some form of alcohol in a 4 week period. By April 2010, this had dropped to 71.5%.

This decline is most noticeable in wine (49.1% to 45.6%) and beer (42.4% to 41.1%) as well as RTDs (16% to 14%). However, there has been an increase in the proportion of adult Australians consuming spirits (25.4% to 27%) particularly since the RTD tax change in 2008. There has also been an increase in other alcohol types that have collectively gone from 13.2% to 14.1%. These alcohol types mainly include cider and liqueurs.


Chart 1: Consumption of Alcohol in a 4 week period - by Type


Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia): July 2005 – April 2010. *Australians aged 18+.
Average 12 month sample n=51,082.

Chart 2 shows the change in consumption of different types of alcohol over the same time period for Australians aged 18-34 years. The decline in the rate of consumption of RTDs is greater than that of the total population. And while consumption of spirits is certainly up, there is also a strong increase in other alcohol types from 16.2% to 20.3%.


Chart 2: Consumption of Alcohol in a 4 week period by Type– 18-34 year old age group


Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia): July 2005 – April 2010. Base:Australians aged 18-34.
Average 12 month sample n=12,378.


Trish Kelliher, Account Director Alcohol, Roy Morgan Research, says:

“The recent release of ABS data on alcohol consumption has brought the debate on the RTD taxes back into the public arena. The Government is claiming the  drop in RTD consumption (as reported by ABS) as proof that the tax changes to RTDs in 2008 have successfully tackled binge drinking by younger drinkers. However this survey points to an increase in other alcohol types since the introduction of the tax, particularly by the 18-34 year olds.

"What Roy Morgan’s Alcohol MAP shows is that, since the change in the RTD tax, the decline in RTD consumption and the rise in spirits and other alcohol types has occurred mainly in those aged under 35. This increase in spirits and other alcohol types, such as cider and liqueurs, show that consumers are displaying a greater propensity for exploration in the alcohol market. Their repertoires are broadening as they explore and embrace a greater number of alcohol types.

“Another aspect of the trend for switching from RTDs to Spirits is the strength of the brands in these categories. When RTD prices rose, consumers generally switched to the same brands but in the free-pour spirits format. This has occurred across all age groups, with under 35 year olds in particular switching from RTDs to spirits.”

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