News Release - Millennial Consumers Seek New Tastes, Willing to Pay a Premium for Alcoholic Beverages



Nielsen Releases Most Comprehensive Study To Date on U.S. Millennial Generation’s Alcoholic Beverage Attitudes and Usage

November 26, 2007, Schaumburg, IL- Millennial consumers (21 – 30 year olds) and their thirst for new experiences have a clear impact on their alcoholic beverage choices, according to a new study by The Nielsen Company. In the most comprehensive study to date of the alcoholic beverage preferences of the U.S. Millennial generation, Nielsen finds that Millennial consumers frequently seek new tastes and are willing to pay a premium for alcoholic beverages. (For all charts and graphs referenced in this release, please view Full PDF Download version of release).

Also known as “The Next Great Generation,” the 70 million Millennials outnumber Generation Xers (31 – 44 years old) by nearly 25 million and are nearly as large as the approximately 77 million Baby Boomers (45 – 65 years old) in the U.S.

“The Millennials are primed to be an extremely influential group,” said Richard Hurst, senior vice president of Beverage Alcohol at ACNielsen, a service of The Nielsen Company. “At the beginning of their careers, Millennials are discovering the world and have control over their money and time in ways their predecessors never did. A sizeable group with many purchasing years ahead of them, understanding what they’re buying, why they’re buying, where they’re buying and how they’re buying represents an enormous opportunity for today’s manufacturers and retailers.”

“Understanding this important consumer group is critical to our business,” said Ed Gawronski, vice president, Market and Business Insights, Miller Brewing Company. “We know Millennials will have great influence on category dynamics for years to come.”

Alcoholic beverage preferences for the 21 – 30 year old age group are clearly changing. Ten years ago, beer accounted for 59 percent of this group’s alcoholic beverage spending; this number has shrunk 12 percentage points to 47 percent as wine and spirits purchases have grown in relatively equal proportions. While the 31 plus age group preferences are changing in a similar manner, wine and spirits preferences are moving at a much slower rate with only a six percentage point gain during the last ten years. (Please refer to chart titled "Dollar Share of Alcoholic Beverage Purchases" in Full PDF Download of release).
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